As renewable energy jobs expand, so does center's career fair

Details: Lance Martin; News; 28 April 2023; 2744

Careers in clean and renewable energy continue to strengthen as options for students — jobs which span the spectrum from the boardroom to the field.

Today students from across the region had a chance to explore those options as the Center for Energy Education held its clean energy career fair at William R. Davie Middle School due to this morning’s heavy rains.

“It’s such a wonderful opportunity for all of our students to see what careers we have,” said Roanoke Rapids Graded School District Superintendent Julie Thompson. “The Roanoke Valley is a wonderful place to have a home and raise a family. I’m so excited that our kids can see the opportunities for a career here.”

The school system has seen success in clean energy initiatives, particularly with Chaloner Middle School claiming the national title last year in the KidWind Challenge and competing in the nationals again this year. “The Center for Energy Education is a wonderful partner for our community. We’re so thankful for the opportunity like KidWind. It’s been great to see the kids get passionate about something that’s a great thing for the environment and growing careers,” Thompson said.

While Thompson could not say what some of the specific career fields of the system’s students are, she said in general their interests fall in the STEM areas. “The Center for Energy Education has been able to expose them in ways we have not been able to expose them until that partnership came about.”

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Students clamored around the EDF Renewables table, which was offering internships and scholarships.

“It tells me that they’re interested in furthering their education because we’re giving away scholarships for graduating seniors who fill out the application,” said Stephanie Miller, EDF community engagement manager.

Miller said the company offers many types of internships — from events to development and implementation to construction. “We offer solar technician and wind technician jobs where you don’t necessarily have to have a secondary education if somebody is good mechanically.”

About an hour into the event, 17 students had applied for scholarships.

“We’ve had a lot of interest,” said Basil Williams Jr., manager of member services for Roanoke Cooperative. “They’ve been very inquisitive. A lot of these kids have a plan already.”

Susan Williams, coordinator of community development for the cooperative’s Roanoke Center, said even for students who don’t want to go to college there are great opportunities in the field.

Mozine Lowe, the center’s executive director, said each year the career fair gets larger and larger. “We have more companies participating, and we have more students. I hope that students will start looking at careers in clean energy.”

The field is growing statewide, Lowe said, with North Carolina in fourth in solar installations.

The jobs in the field vary — lawyers and accountants; business and project managers; scientists and engineers; as well as weatherization technicians. She said solar installation is the number one job. “There are so many jobs that fall under the umbrella of solar. The students can go right from high school into a job, they can go to a two-year institution to a college but there are so many opportunities for these students and the pay is tremendous.”

Lowe said as more people hear the center’s message, there are plans in the works to expand the campus. “We’re hoping for a clean energy workforce lab so we can offer students in this part of the state hands-on experience with industry working in the area.”

She said the center is currently looking for supporters for this project. “We’re hoping to have this in place within a couple of years.”

Janine Williams has firsthand knowledge of the center and its work as a member of the inaugural class of the Radiants Rays, a group of young women who have served as clean energy ambassadors. “This experience has meant a lot to me,” she said. “It’s basically providing me with the fundamentals that I’ll need to go to college and pursue my career in renewable energy. There are a lot of environmental needs in our local community that a lot of people don’t know are related to solar and renewable options that they could have.”

Williams said her message to the students coming by the Radiant Rays table was “to be yourself, expand your knowledge because the more you know the more that you can do and no one can take that from you.”

TAGS: halifaxcountynews, roanokerapidsnews, centerforenergyeducation

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