Connecting Students, Skills, and Solar Careers
MREA partners with Employment Connection to help participants take their first steps into the renewable energy industry.
May 29, 2026
Creating pathways into the clean energy workforce means making renewable energy education accessible to everyone. This May, the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) partnered with Employment Connection of St. Louis to deliver customized solar training designed to introduce participants to careers in the growing solar industry.
Through hands-on learning and industry-focused instruction, the training aimed to build both technical knowledge and personal confidence, helping participants explore new career possibilities in renewable energy and take meaningful steps toward long-term economic opportunity.
About Employment Connection
Employment Connection‘s vision is to break down barriers to self-sufficiency, creating a safer and stronger community for everyone. They assist nearly 2,000 individuals who have barriers to employment every year by helping homeless individuals, veterans, ex-offenders, TANF and food stamp recipients, high school dropouts, legal immigrants, non-custodial fathers, adults with literacy deficiencies, and women on welfare.
Since their 1977 foundation, Employment Connection provides exceptional client service in their community by providing job training, homeless assistance, gainful employment, and client programming.
To help achieve their goal, MREA worked with Employment Connection to provide customized training to 20 trainees.
“After organizing trainings with Employment Connection for many years, I finally had the pleasure of sitting in with the last two student cohorts. Shantel and the team do an incredible job supporting students throughout the training program by providing support services, job shadows, résumé preparation, and interview coaching. We’ve truly enjoyed getting to know everyone and spending time exploring the city of St. Louis. We’re grateful to be part of the meaningful work Employment Connection does for the community!“
– Greta Ladenthin, MREA Training Director
Customized Training to Meet Employment Connection’s Needs
In May 2026, MREA delivered a 35-hour, hands-on training program that spanned five days, providing the team with the solar knowledge needed to excel in their vision. The curriculum included delving into an Introduction to Solar Work (PV 120) and Basic Photovoltaics (PV 101), to meet the trainees’ needs and goals.
“The students really enjoyed the hands-on activities of wiring micro-PV modules in series and parallel and building solar cars. The solar cars were a great highlight because it allowed students to act like kids again. They were learning while having fun!
I was able to bring and set up our demonstration lab. The lab allowed the students to handle real solar components and how they fit together to make functioning on-grid and off–grid solar arrays. A major accomplishment was when some of the students said that that they were able to go home and teach their kids about solar power.“
– Leon Dulak, MREA Instructor
Partner Testimonial
“Students were engaged, asked thoughtful questions, and really embraced the hands-on activities. The solar car race was definitely a highlight—it combined teamwork, creativity, and technical skills in a way that really energized the group.
Leon [Instructor] and Greta [Training Director] were amazing throughout the training. They were very relatable and created a comfortable learning environment, which helped participants feel confident engaging with both the class and the material.“
– Shantel Towns, Manager (Green Jobs, Employment Connection)
Student Testimonial
“The week went very well. We learned a lot and had a good instructor who gave us a lot of information, which I would like to be able to use in Senegal, Africa.“
– Nana Diop, Student/Trainee
Core Course Knowledge Built for Employment Connection
This customized training focused on our foundational courses to prepare trainees for solar jobs — training that’s available to all customers hoping for your end goals to be met by the MREA.
Looking ahead, we are excited to continue our partnership with Employment Connection to connect students with the skills to excel in a solar career.
MREA Custom Group Training
MREA’s Customized Group Training delivers affordable, high-quality solar and renewable energy education tailored to your organization’s needs. Whether onboarding new hires, providing continuing education, or preparing municipal inspectors, we equip professionals with the skills and credentials to succeed in a rapidly evolving energy industry.
Training is available online, in-person at our Wisconsin facilities, on-site, or in hybrid formats, including hands-on labs. We also offer Illumination Solar’s Mobile Solar Training Labs, bringing practical, hands-on learning directly to you.
Interested in Customized Group Training? Fill out our interest form, explore our resources, and schedule a meeting with our Training Director to discuss your needs.