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NABCEP & ImagineSolar

ImagineSolar has a long history of supporting and working with NABCEP and IREC. Here is a time line:

2009

  • Founder Achieves NABCEP PV Installation Professional Certification;
  • Founder Becomes the 1st IREC ISPQ Master Trainer for Solar Photovoltaics in Texas and the 8th in the Nation;
  • Approved by NABCEP as a PV Entry Level Program (now the Associate program) training provider;

2010

  • IREC Volunteer: founder served on the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) Credentialing Advisory Board;
  • NABCEP Volunteer: founder served on the PV Job Task Analysis Review Committee;
  • Designed and implemented the Comprehensive-National Electrician and Solar Training (C-NEST) program funded by an Energy Training Partnership Grant from the Department of Labor, and ARRA HGEI;

ImagineSolar included NABCEP in the grant in many ways including:

1) The ImagineSolar training program was implemented in sync with NABCEP requirements defined by job task analyses for PV Installation Professional and for PV Technical Sales.

2) Funding through the grant was provided for trainees to sit for the NABCEP Entry Level exam (now named the NABCEP Associate exam) and for the NABCEP PV Installation Professional certification exam.

3) ImagineSolar implemented the pilot for the NABCEP Alternative Installation Experience Pathway (AIEP) solar training program for electricians;

When NABCEP came out with the AIEP, ImagineSolar contacted NABCEP to communicate their interest in offering the pathway to their trainees. NABCEP toured the solar training program and decided to launch a pilot program with ImagineSolar and AEJATC. The training program started with incumbent electricians and put them through 128 contact hours of training. In their last course, they perform a practicum exam that includes an actual installation on the rooftop of the training center building. Once participants pass the practicum exam, they were able to sit for the NABCEP certification exam.

As a result of this solar training program, 63 electricians fulfilled the requirements necessary to take the NABCEP certification exam.

  • ImagineSolar implements an employee benefit program to assist instructors and employees to gain NABCEP/IREC recognition and certifications; as a result, all ImagineSolar instructors achieved NABCEP certification or the entry level recognition; also, many achieved IREC recognition;

2011

  • Speaker: IREC Clean Energy Workforce Education Conference, “Building a Workforce Training Ecosystem for Customer Success”;
  • Awarded IREC Accredited Continuing Education Provider for ImagineSolar courses PV201, PV320, PV321, and PV330;
  • NABCEP Volunteer: PV Installation Professional Technical Committee;
  • Expanded C-NEST solar training program into New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma, Kansas and greater Texas;

2012

  • 2012 Texas Workforce Investment Council, Office of the Governor, recognizes ImagineSolar as a model of promising practice for electrician apprenticeship training programs;

2013

  • Founder Recognized as NABCEP Emeritus, PV Installation Professional;
  • Founder Achieves NABCEP Certified PV Technical Sales Professional™ Certification;

2017

  • NABCEP Volunteer: PV Technical Sales Technical Committee & Job Task Analysis;

About NABCEP

From NABCEP’s website: “The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) is the most respected, well-established and widely recognized national certification organization for professionals in the field of renewable energy. NABCEP offers credentials for skilled professionals, specialists and those new to working in the areas of photovoltaics, solar heating and small wind technologies. NABCEP’s mission is to develop and implement quality credentialing and certification programs for practitioners by supporting and working closely with professionals and stakeholders in the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries.

NABCEP was founded in 2002 as a non-profit 501 (c)(6) corporation with a mission “to support, and work with, the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries, professionals, and stakeholders to develop and implement quality credentialing and certification programs for practitioners”.

NABCEP’s goal is to develop voluntary national credentialing programs that will:

  • Promote renewable energy
  • Provide value to practitioners
  • Promote worker safety and skill
  • Promote consumer confidence

Ezra Auerbach was the first NABCEP Executive Director. We interviewed him at our training center in Austin Texas.

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