Employ Florida Banner Centers

Boosting Florida’s alternative energy workforce is the aim of the Employ Florida Banner Center for Alternative Energy. Based at the University of Central Florida’s Florida Solar Energy Center in Cocoa, the Banner Center for Alternative Energy is a partnership of universities, community colleges, technical institutes, workforce agencies and the alternative energy industry. All share a common goal: ensuring a prepared workforce is available to support Florida’s growing alternative energy industry.

The Banner Center’s mission is to supply education, training and workforce placement in alternative energy technologies statewide. Started in 2008, the center’s initial focus is on solar thermal energy and photovoltaics. Its timing couldn’t be better.

Increased attention and focus in Florida on alternative and renewable energy resources, along with rising demand for energy, will lead to new opportunities for “green jobs” in the state.

Alternative energy technology curriculum and educational programs are mostly nonexistent in Florida and elsewhere in the nation. Because of that, training in these technologies is not routinely available at traditional vocational schools, community colleges or universities.

However, the Florida Solar Energy Center is a national leader in filling this education and training void. And through its work, in collaboration with the Florida Solar Energy Center, the Banner Center seeks to expand such training in our state. Already, the Banner Center has offered train-the-trainer courses for faculty that will allow its primary partner schools—Brevard Community College in Cocoa, Westside Tech in Orlando,  Tallahassee Community College and Broward College—to offer solar thermal and photovoltaic training at their institutions beginning this summer. A critical component of the instructional programs will be hands-on experiential learning and, in some cases, on-the-job training.

Banner Center for Alternative Energy partners and advisory council members include:

The Banner Center is seeking to develop new partnerships with other institutions to expand its training statewide. Meanwhile, the community colleges already offering the training plan to use it as a foundation for creating an Associate of Science Degree in Alternative Energy as well as offering certificate or non-credit training in the specialized areas. The vocational schools are planning to provide a certificate in solar thermal or photovoltaic installation.

An equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. All voice telephone numbers on this web site may be reached by persons using TTY/TDD equipment via the Florida Relay Service at 711.