J&B Solar launches ‘Renewable Revolution Apprentice Program’
Indiatlantic, Florida-based solar installer J&B Solar has instituted an in-house Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) compliance and apprenticeship program, aiming to further develop the utility-scale solar workforce.
Led by company IRA compliance and labor relations manager Casey Swindell, the program is “rigorous by design.” Graduates will earn formal certification from J&B Solar, along with gaining field experience in the solar industry, bolstering the industry’s workforce quality and retention, and increasing earning potential for young professionals.
“Originally, we outsourced our apprenticeship program,” said Swindell. “Over time, it became clear those solutions were expensive, reactive instead of proactive, and limited our ability to access and manage critical compliance data. Bringing the program in-house gave us control, speed, and the ability to directly invest in our people.”
The company says Swindell “identified early challenges with traditional third-party apprenticeship models” that J&B Solar no longer aligned with. Developed with the IRA in mind, the new program hopes to carve out a definitive career pathway in the modern solar industry.
Building solar compliance in 2026
J&B representatives say that in building the program, Swindell “recognized a common industry misconception.” That is, the company realized compliance in the modern day is no longer about having apprentices physically on-location, at the site, every day.
“In reality, compliance happens behind the scenes,” Swindell says. “It’s preparation, documentation, internal tracking, and validating every requirement. While our previous provider tracked ratios and hours, responsibility for full IRA compliance still rested with us.”
The new program serves as a consolidation measure, according to J&B company officials, and brings together a variety of compliance aspects under one umbrella. Combining apprenticeship tracking, reporting, documentation, and workforce planning, the firm hopes to not only reduce workforce risk, but eliminate fragmenting accountability for its employees.
“Done right means fully understanding the law, following it without exception, and maintaining complete control of the process,” Swindell said.
Centralizing the framework
J&B Solar says its new apprenticeship and compliance program was “built specifically for the realities of utility-scale solar construction.” The company has installed more than 4 GW of utility-scale solar of all racking systems and foundation types since its founding in 2013.
To build out its new suite of apprenticeship and compliance tools, J&B Solar configured already-existing systems for on the job training, related technical instruction, IRA manpower and other calculations in real time. The tracking methods themselves are “fairly straightforward,” according to Swindell.
“Apprenticeship programs are far more complex,” she says. “You’re managing training requirements, oversight, wage progressions, and strict regulatory rules while work continues on live jobsites.”
But J&B Solar designed the program, at its core, to create skilled trade workers for the solar workforce. Rather than simply meeting modern regulatory thresholds for the industry, the focus was on getting field experience and increasing earning potential for young professionals around the renewable energy landscape, Swindell says.
“This isn’t about expansion for expansion’s sake,” she says. “It’s about developing confident tradespeople who take pride in their work and are willing to teach the next generation.”
