Building a Solar Energy Job Pipeline

Foresight worked with the Chicago Community Trust to develop and administer ComEd’s $3 million solar training pipeline program focused on communities with employment barriers.

In 2016, Illinois passed the most significant piece of climate and clean energy policy in the state's history: the Future Energy Jobs Act. The Act is expected to drive a tenfold increase in statewide solar generation capacity over four years, and ComEd’s program was launched in preparation for a resultant boom in workforce needs in the solar industry.

To prepare the Illinois workforce for this solar boom, ComEd funded a $3 million solar training pipeline program focused on communities with employment barriers. We co-developed a request for proposals for this program, supported and connected applicants from diverse sectors, and managed the proposal review process, culminating in recommendations to ComEd.