{"id":2765,"date":"2014-08-26T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-08-26T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gridalt.wpenginepowered.com\/the-current\/solar-interns-where-are-they-now-2\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T12:03:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T16:03:11","slug":"solar-interns-where-are-they-now-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/live-grid-wp.pantheonsite.io\/es\/the-current\/solar-interns-where-are-they-now-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar Interns: Where Are They Now?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ronnie Obra, Veteran of the U.S. Airforce, was working at an automobile assembly plant for nearly ten years when a restructuring of the business shuttered the plant \u2013 leaving 6,000 workers displaced, Ronnie included.<\/p>\n

After a long search, Ronnie found his next venture: solar. He came across a job training program for military veterans \u2013 Swords to Plowshares<\/a>. Their Veterans Green Career Pathway Program, in collaboration with Diablo Valley Community Colleges<\/a>\u2019 California Clean Energy Workforce Training Program, sparked his interest. GRID Alternatives Bay Area partners with both Diablo Valley College and Swords to Plowshares in order to provide hands-on training to supplement their programs. After Ronnie participated on a GRID install for his training in 2011, he began volunteering with GRID on his own.<\/p>\n

After finishing the Swords to Plowshares training program, Ronnie found a year of employment with a start-up in solar technology interested in his background and hands-on experience. As it sometimes happens in the industry, the start-up buckled. Ronnie went back to the drawing board. As Ronnie explains, \u201cThis was okay by me because I really wasn\u2019t interested in the manufacturing aspect as much as I was into the design and installation side of the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

He came back to GRID \u2013 this time as a Solar Construction Intern.  We asked for three months, three days a week.  Ronnie came in five, sometimes six days a week and stayed longer than the three months. Ronnie says, \u201cAlthough construction told me I didn\u2019t need to be there that much, I told them that the more knowledge and experience I get the better prepared I am for future prospective employers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sure enough Ronnie was hired as a Solar PV Installer at Verengo Solar<\/a> \u2013 just before his unemployment insurance ran out. The job is treating our intern graduate well, and Ronnie says much of that is thanks to the over 100 volunteer hours he logged with us; attributing his GRID experience with safety, fall protection, power tools, and the knowledge of parts and materials as the leg-up over other applicants. Additionally, his solar training background got him a raise with just a month on the job! Ronnie shares, \u201cWords cannot express how much gratitude I have for Ron, Jeff, Dave, Harry, Shamir, Bret, and Bruce as well as the rest of the GRID Family.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a Catch 22 for many people looking for work in the growing solar industry: they can\u2019t get their first job without experience and they can\u2019t gain experience without their first job. GRID\u2019s volunteer and internship programs provide individuals an opportunity to bridge this gap. Contact our Volunteer Coordinator for details – volunteerba@gridalternatives.org<\/p>\n

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Our Solar Construction Intern found employment after logging hours with GRID. 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