Since July of 2022 Blue Ridge Power has been investing into its future workforce by meeting students at their level, training them up and giving them opportunities for mobility within the solar construction sector. 

Aimed at building a professional, skilled workforce to meet the rising demands of the clean energy EPC industry, Blue Ridge Power launched their PowerUp Workforce Development Programs to help students from high school to college age build up their skills to lead into long term employment in the energy industry. 

The program focuses on industry training and support where participants gain knowledge, skills and certifications to become successful solar installers and leaders in the field through three main pathways:

INTERNSHIPS

PowerUp High School Internships provide high school students with the opportunity to earn academic credit and money while learning about various roles in Blue Ridge Power’s Asheville, NC and Fayetteville, NC offices, including marketing, IT, fleet maintenance, mechanical shop, field engineering and construction. 

POWERUP ACADEMY

This is a one-week training program focused on providing all construction employees with hands-on experience in constructing a solar array. Participants learn the safety, tool skills and mechanics of solar site construction, as well as understand how you contribute to Blue Ridge Power’s goals and vision.

APPRENTICESHIPS

Following PowerUp Academy, employees can apply for the PowerUp Apprenticeship Program, a two-year program in which apprentices receive 3,000-4,000 hours of on-the-job training while also receiving 288 hours of national and industry-recognized work-related instruction, creating defined career pathways and upward mobility for employees. 

“The PowerUp Academy offers a real-world onboarding experience where individuals can come in, they learn all about the company, they learn about our safety culture. They learn about what it takes to do the job right,” said Director of Learning and Development at Blue Ridge Power Lee Spruill. 

Spruill shared that along with on-the-job training, students are also educated on things they as workers need to know including benefits packages and health insurance along with meeting other educational criteria required as a registered apprenticeship through the Department of Labor. Apprentices are also offered jobs at Blue Ridge Power after they finish their program, ensuring a solid workforce for the company and keeping those educated employees local. Spruill went on to specify that an internship and apprenticeship are meeting training requirements at two different levels. Internships are aimed at high school level students, looking to get entry level experience and training that can be used to continue building their skills later. He described some of the internship programs such as the Utility Solar program offered to Cumberland County School students, more as ‘pre-apprenticeships’ that can be accomplished on a high schooler’s schedule. 

“We usually try to target folks that are in their senior year. We teach them how to build utility scale solar, so they learn everything from erosion control to post driving, some basics about equipment operation. They don’t get certified on equipment, but they learn a lot about it,” said Spruill. “It’s hands-on learning. They have some projects that they learn about on the developer’s side, they get their OSHA certifications while they’re in there. They’re getting all these certifications that otherwise they would typically have to pay for and they’re getting it free of charge while they’re in high school. Apprenticeships are like an alternative to college. You go to college to learn how to pursue your career. Well, that’s what an apprenticeship does. Apprenticeship is you’re getting paid while you learn and while you earn.” With their apprenticeship program entering its third year, Blue Ridge Power has partnered with local organizations to connect with as many students and future trade workers as possible.

“It’s through a partnership between Blue Ridge Power, Cumberland County Schools and Fayetteville Technical Community College, that we bring people in. In the last two years, we’ve had 20 students, and five of the 20 have decided to go into the company (Blue Ridge Power) after going through that class,” shared Spruill. “The rest of them have typically gone into some type of project management or construction management or engineering, which requires them to have a four-year degree. About 20% of those kids come into our company and are working their way through there, and they’re getting paid, making good money for an 18-year-old.”

Those partnerships expand beyond NC. The success of the PowerUp Apprenticeship program has led to expansion across the country. In November of 2022 it was announced that Blue Ridge Power partnered with Adaptive Construction Solutions (ACS) to establish PowerUp as a Registered Apprenticeship across the country with the apprenticeship becoming available in Texas and Missouri, certified by the U.S. Department of Labor. 

Back in North Carolina, the PowerUp Workforce Development Program in Fayetteville is currently accepting interns for the summer of 2025.

You can go online to www.blueridgepower.com/power-up or contact Lee Spruill at leespruill@blueridgepower.com to learn more about the program and how to apply.