Congratulations to the Upskill Prize Round 1 winners, recently announced by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)! These teams have each been awarded up to $500,000 for creating exceptional workforce training plans for domestic solar manufacturers with a lens on serving underrepresented communities. 

Each team consisted of a partnership between a manufacturing facility and training facility who developed plans either to equip new workers with essential skills for the solar manufacturing industry or to enhance career development for existing workers.

The winning teams are as follows:

  • Louisiana First Solar Force: This project is a collaboration between the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (ULL) and First Solar to establish a semiconductor technical training center focused on thin-film solar processes to support the workforce at First Solar’s new Louisiana facility. The training center will be located at ULL Research Park and provide training for operators, technicians, engineers, data scientists, and managers
  • Training in Solar Manufacturing: Crossroads Solar Enterprises and the Purdue University Manufacturing Extension Partnership are partnering to offer solar manufacturing training to returning citizens. The training will support both new and incumbent workers at Crossroads Solar on topics including equipment maintenance and quality management. Employees will also receive a certificate from Purdue after completing training. 

Round 2 is now open for submissions! Whether you were interested in the Upskill Prize but weren’t able to apply in the first round or you applied but weren’t selected as a winner, here’s your second chance! Join the Upskill Prize Round 2 to strengthen solar manufacturing in the U.S. with your comprehensive training plan. Your submission not only has the potential to uplift underrepresented individuals, but also to bolster the reliability of the domestic solar supply chain. 

Those who applied to Round 1 will receive comments from reviewers to help identify areas of improvement for successful submission to Round 2.

Don't miss out on the chance to compete for a share of the $5 million prize pool! Follow this HeroX channel to receive updates about Round 2.