LISC LA Partner Feature: CRCD and GRID Alternatives Empower Financial, Community Development in the Renewable Energy Sector
5.06.2021
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LISC StoriesFinancial Stability
The Coalition for Responsible Community Development (CRCD), a partner in LISC LA’s Financial Opportunity Center network, is working with leaders in the renewable energy sector to create sustainable career pathways in solar for people living in historically divested communities in Los Angeles.
In 2010, there were approximately 93,000 jobs in solar. As of 2019, that number soared to almost 250,000, according to the National Solar Jobs Census, released by the Solar Foundation. 1 in 3 people in the US now live in a state or city transitioning to 100% clean energy as of 2019, and community based approaches to renewable energy installation are at an all time high.
The renewable energy industry is growing each day, and for good reason – renewables, including wind, solar, and geothermals, are a more cost effective source of energy with substantially lower carbon emission levels. Furthermore, renewable energy is a burgeoning industry with immense possibilities for the creation of equitable job opportunities and growth.
GRID Alternatives employees work on installing solar panels in local communities. (Courtesy of GRID Alternatives)
CRCD has been working with GRID Alternatives, a renewable energy non-profit that serves local communities by providing training and job opportunities in the industry, to establish a Bridges to Career Opportunities (Bridges) program and train 9 participants through financial coaching, adult education and career training. The program, which lasted 13 weeks, empowered GRID solar installation trainees with resume writing, asset management, and credit building skills, as well as providing COVID-19 resources and assistance.
GRID’s work to expand job opportunities in the renewable energy sector, coupled with the strategic financial development program provided by CRCD, provides a critical service at the intersection of job growth and economic development in historically divested neighborhoods.
"When you’re working with individuals, it’s one thing to train them and get them prepared for a job, but it’s a completely different thing to give them those other soft skills that help them keep the job – and that’s why financial coaching is so important."
"As a solar nonprofit, we have certain things we can provide, but we’re not necessarily going to provide all those soft skills and financial literacy – we can do some of it, but it’s better to have CRCD because that’s what they do," said Adewale OgunBadejo, the Workforce Development Manager at GRID Alternatives. "When you’re working with individuals, it’s one thing to train them and get them prepared for a job, but it’s a completely different thing to give them those other soft skills that help them keep the job – and that’s why financial coaching is so important."
As a preeminent leader in community solar installation for underserved communities, GRID Alternatives understands the importance of equity in creating environmentally friendly, affordable sources of energy for communities that are impacted by environmental racism. In Los Angeles, Black and Latino residents are more likely to live near unplugged oil or gas wells, and people of color are more likely to live near pollutants from industrial infrastructure like oil refineries, due largely to a history of racist redlining policies. GRID’s solar installation training program is a multifaceted investment in those communities – by providing clean, sustainable energy in neighborhoods affected by environmental toxins, they also provide increased access to jobs and career paths in the field of renewable energy.
GRID Alternatives and CRCD have worked in partnership to ensure cohort members have access to financial training and workforce experience. (Courtesy of GRID Alternatives)
That’s also where CRCD comes in. LISC LA and our partners are committed to creating economic development and career opportunities in these neighborhoods – and the addition of financial coaching services to GRID’s solar installation training programs not only ensures that jobs will be available, but that participants will be equipped with the necessary skills to build assets and wealth for themselves and their communities during the course of their career path.
In GRID’s most recent cohort, all nine participants graduated, and a majority of them moved to new positions in the renewable energy field, starting work at companies like Tesla and Texino, which works to create mobile applications for solar energy.
CRCD will continue to work with GRID Alternatives to provide financial coaching and development opportunities for the nine new program recruits in the next quarter. Thanks to the support of CRCD’s training and GRID’s commitment to workforce development, LISC LA is proud to support the critical work our FOCs and their partners are doing to create a more equitable, sustainable future in the energy sector.
