6 Ways to Not Waste Your Money on Solar Training

BUYER BEWARE; when purchasing training, there are a lot of training providers coming into the market. Some are good, but some are bad. You’re smart–just do your homework.

Everyone looking to get into solar industry should take some quality technical solar training so they understand how the systems work, how they are designed, solar code and some basics of sales and incentives. It doesn’t matter if you are going to be selling, installing, managing, or designing–everyone will benefit from quality training about solar.

Here’s a list of the top six characteristics of quality training that every contractor should look into when purchasing training to make sure you don’t waste your money.  My goal with those post is not to sell HeatSpring training, but to make sure you get the best training that fits your needs.

1. Quality Trainer – Ideally the best trainer will have been in the solar industry for at least five years–better if more than ten. This is rare, but only with this level of experience can an instructor answer all questions you might have.
2. Licensed Electrician – Understanding code is key to quality jobs. Don’t take your first training with a trainer who is not an electrician. You’ll also want to make sure the trainer is an ISPQ Certified Master Training. You can find the list of ISPQ Certified Master Trainers here. Also, you’ll want to make sure the instructor is NABCEP Certified here.
3. Certification – Make sure the first training you go to has been certified by IREC with the ISPQ certifications. This is a quality control measure to make sure that the training properly addressed all the elements of solar, which is much more than electrical work. You can find the list of IREC ISPQ accredited training providers here.
4. Location/Timing – Some training providers only have a few locations and require you to spend a lot of time traveling. Try to find a local training provider.
5. Product Agnostic – Product training is great after you understand the technology. Make sure your first training or two is in product agnostics so that you can focus on learning the technology and not be sold a product.
6. Alumni Resources – Make sure your training provider helps to support their alumni after the training. Ask for referrals from the company–spend 20 minutes and make a few phone calls. If you’re just entering the industry, you’ll surely have some questions about products, sales, and how to select a distributor, and you’ll want someone you can rely on for help.