Students get solar training
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BUFFALO, N.Y. — Students at McKinley High School are making the switch to green – green careers, that is.
Buffalo Public Schools is teaming up with Montante Development and the Green Career Institute to offer solar energy training for students in McKinley's electrical program.
The 40-hour course will train students in solar design and construction with hands on experience through site visits and internships.
At the end, students can obtain their solar installation certifications, increasing their chances for finding jobs later.
"We're always looking for high-skill, high-demand, high-wage jobs, and with the solar and any of the alternative energies, it's something new on the horizon, so we want to make sure we're training our students for the jobs of the future, not for the jobs of the past,” said Kathy Heinle, director of career & technical education at Buffalo Public Schools.
School leaders said that despite the falling graduation rates across the city, more than 75 percent of students in technical education courses go on to earn their diplomas.