When renewable energy comes to town, some communities gain environmental benefits, but still lack the ownership and control over their energy that they lacked with fossil fuels. Renewable companies can replicate extractive dynamics by installing large-scale infrastructure in remote communities without training locals to operate or maintain it. Communities can be shut out of major decisions about their energy, turning renewables into large, outsider-driven businesses. It’s a clean transition, but not a just transition.
The Renewable Skills Initiative delivers training programs and hosts community-led renewable energy installations to foster energy sovereignty and increase energy literacy in interested communities. By prioritizing local capacity-building, we aim to empower communities and equip participants with the skills to kick-start their future in the green economy.
We offer different types of programming to meet diverse needs, with the Essential Introductory Training (two to four days), the Community Skills Training (~two weeks long), and specialized training (for electricians, or for future instructors with our Train-the-Trainer program). Each program is tailored to the host community and focuses on hands-on experience to enable community members to take ownership of their new renewable energy infrastructure. Programming includes a module on local green careers delivered with the Iron & Earth Climate Career Portal and integration of its free resources, such as the Mentorship program.
We have trained more than 200 people in the growing renewable energy sector since 2017, mostly in remote and Indigenous communities. Our ambition is to keep growing and reaching more communities. For the next two years, we will continue to support communities interested in installing small-scale renewable energy infrastructure locally. We also aim to deliver our shorter training programs to new audiences, including community groups, high school students, and youth energy transition advocates.
Donate today to support our campaign for a more sustainable future – where communities can truly be engaged in their energy systems. Some communities in Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and the Northwest Territories are ready for their solar photovoltaic (PV) training, where participants build their local solar PV system and gain skills for the future!
The Renewable Skills Initiative is in partnership with Iron & Earth, a Canadian non-profit that enables sustainable, community-driven climate solutions and reduces barriers for those seeking a future in the green economy.