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A Matter of Degrees
The old Frankford Arsenal is now home to solar panel installation training by tim mccullough
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warehouse sits along the banks of Old Frankford Creek, in the Bridesburg section of Northeast Philadelphia. For a century and a half it was part of the Frankford Arsenal, manufacturing ammunition and weapons parts for the military. Opened in 1816, the Arsenal was a linchpin of Philadelphia’s economy for generations, providing muskets during the Battle of Gettysburg and ammunition for both world wars. But, by the late ’70s, the Arsenal wasn’t producing much anymore. Once a huge employer in the region, it was swept up in the tide that carried away most of Philadelphia’s manufacturing jobs. In 1977, the Arsenal closed. But that wasn’t the end of the story for this historic landmark. Today, the complex houses two charter schools and various small businesses, and, in one particular warehouse by the creek, students are learning how to install solar panels. The PV installation training class is run by the Maxwell Education Group. (PV is short for photovoltaics, a technical name for cells used to gather energy from the sun.) A small company that’s been doing various workforce development and welfare-to-work programs since 1998, Maxwell has received a federal grant to train unemployed city residents for jobs in the burgeoning green economy—and they’re starting with solar panels. In the classroom, a group of students sit in second-hand chairs taking notes. The lecturer explains photovoltaic wiring practices, electrical load analysis techniques and other techni10
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cal details of the solar energy industry. To their right are several rows of out-of-service solar panels, about 15 altogether. The students will get plenty of hands-on experience, but time in the classroom is also an important part of their training. The program is intensive—requiring 300 hours over 8 to 12 weeks, including a fourweek externship and job search. Most students earn jobs through their externships. Steve Organ, president of the Maxwell Education Group, has been in the job-training business for 35 years—and he is also one of the teachers. He has only good things to say about the students, and their futures. “We’re proud to help our students develop the broad range of skills they need to get a new lease on life in the workforce,” he says. The class is a diverse bunch. The average age is 40, and the ethnic breakdown is about 60 percent African American and 40 percent
december 2009
Now and then—the historic Frankford Arsenal (above left) houses a new solar panel installation training program (above middle).
caucasian, with one Latino student. The group includes six veterans, six ex-offenders and a mix of manufacturing experience, from extensive to none. One exception: There are no women in the class—the few that did apply didn’t make it past the entrance exam. “I guess I am an environmentalist, but I never thought of it like that,” says Sam Williams, an Iraq War veteran and one of 25 students in the first session of the job-training program. While waiting at the Bridesburg Station for his train to West Philly, he recalls the companionship he felt while in the military. He says he feels a similar bond between the staff and the students. “They really support us,” he says. “We feed off their energy and vice versa.” Williams returned from Iraq in 2005. He worked in communications for the military, but couldn’t find a job that fit his skills. When he found out about the opportunity to learn solar panel installation, he went after it. He applied for the course through PA CareerLink Philadelphia (pwdc.org/careerlink), a website run by the Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board. Williams has found that the work suits him. “Working outside and working with people is what I like to do,” he explains. phot os by da n mu rph y