Solar PV Instructor - AOE International

The Leading Niche; Kankakee (IL); Hybrid; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

AOE International, a nonprofit focused on workforce development, seeks an instructor to teach the Solar Photovoltaic Career Pathway to adult learners, aligning with NABCEP Task Analysis. Classes include classroom, lab, and field instruction, with hands-on practicum on mock roofs and ground mounts.

Responsibilities encompass delivering PV safety and design modules, supervising installations, assessing participants, and preparing them for NABCEP exams.

Qualifications

• Three or more years of PV installation experience.
• NABCEP PV Installation Professional or PV Associate credential.
• Experience training or mentoring new installers; classroom or apprenticeship teaching preferred.
• Working knowledge of NEC Articles 690 and 705.
• Ability to connect with adult learners from communities underrepresented in the trades.

Responsibilities

• Deliver solar-specific modules: safety, core knowledge, sales/economics, design, installation, O&M.
• Lead hands-on installation on mock roofs and ground-mount rack.
• Teach assigned parts of Construction Career Cluster foundation with the Training Manager.
• Enforce lab and job site safety, including fall protection and electrical safe practices.
• Assess participants with tests, lab checklists and final installation practical.
• Prepare participants for NABCEP Associate exam and proctor practice exams.
• Supervise job site practicum with host contractor's crew lead and collect evaluation.
• Identify participants needing reteaching and notify the case manager.

Skills

PV installation experience

Adult education teaching ability

Safety training

Education

NABCEP PV Installation Professional or PV Associate credential

Tools

NEC Articles 690 & 705 knowledge

OSHA 30-Hour Construction certification

Job description

Description

AOE International is a non-profit organization focused on community support and development, with a strong emphasis on workforce development and education. We partner with various organizations to address social needs, including poverty, access to resources, and educational opportunities.

Position summary

Teach the Solar Photovoltaic Career Pathway: classroom, lab and field instruction aligned with the NABCEP Photovoltaic Associate Job Task Analysis, in lab groups of no more than 15. Instructors prepare participants for the NABCEP exam and for entry-level work on residential, commercial and utility-scale installations, and supervise each cohort's job site practicum.

Essential duties and responsibilities

• Deliver the solar-specific modules: PV safety, core knowledge, sales and economics, design, installation, and operations and maintenance.
• Lead hands-on installation on the mock roofs and ground-mount rack: racking, modules, wiring, grounding, inverters, testing and commissioning.
• Teach assigned parts of the Construction Career Cluster foundation with the Training Manager.
• Enforce lab and job site safety, including fall protection, ladder use and electrical safe work practices.
• Assess participants with written tests, lab checklists and the final team installation practical, and record results.
• Prepare participants for the NABCEP Photovoltaic Associate exam and proctor practice exams.
• Supervise the job site practicum with the host contractor's crew lead and collect the host's skills evaluation.
• Identify participants who are struggling, re-teach and re-assess the specific domain, and notify the case manager.

Requirements

Qualifications and experience

• Three or more years of recent experience installing, commissioning or maintaining PV systems.
• NABCEP PV Installation Professional, PV Associate or another NABCEP photovoltaic credential.
• Experience training or mentoring new installers; classroom or apprenticeship teaching experience preferred.
• Working knowledge of National Electrical Code Articles 690 and 705.
• Ability to connect with adult learners from communities underrepresented in the trades.

Training and authorization required

• OSHA 30-Hour Construction; NABCEP credential current. A NABCEP rule bars an instructor from sitting the Associate exam in the technology while teaching it, so the credential must be held at hire.
• Department authorization and equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility training before working with participants.