LevelTen Energy: Silver Solar Diversity Champion 2024

It’s an honour to receive the Silver Award, which recognises the impact of LevelTen’s Energy Scholars programme in fostering diversity, equity and inclusion in the solar energy industry. It’s wonderful that SolarPower Europe is devoting time to highlighting initiatives like ours, as well as those of Sonnedix and RatedPower, which can serve as examples for other organisations in the solar industry.

The Energy Scholars programme, which is hosted by LevelTen Energy, is designed to address the clean energy sector’s opportunity gap by providing college students from underrepresented backgrounds with an all-expenses paid clean energy educational experience. The holistic program goes beyond a typical internship experience by offering extensive mentorship, career panels, and hands-on project experiences tailored to the needs of each Scholar. The programme’s emphasis on building a supportive community, and providing continuous professional development makes it stand out. We also provide free housing, a monthly stipend, and cover each Scholar’s travel expenses, so that cost is not a barrier to participation. The programme is now in its fourth year, and to date, over 70% of former Energy Scholars have found jobs in the clean energy industry, while others are pursuing advanced degrees and are likely to enter the industry soon. 

The Energy Scholars programme depends heavily on our sponsors and partners, who not only help fund the program, but also provide speakers, mentors, and networking opportunities for our Scholars. We hope that this recognition will help us find additional organisations who are willing to sponsor our programme next year, so that we can expand the number of students that we can host, and continue to deliver an all-expenses paid experience. In addition, we hope that other organisations in the solar sector will be inspired to host similar programs of their own, and appreciate the additional awareness that this award will provide for that.

The Energy Scholars programme is designed for students who are just about to launch their career, and LevelTen seeks out former Scholars whenever entry-level roles open up. But of course, not all of our open roles are going to be entry-level. That’s why all LevelTen Energy employees receive annual training in diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are growing rapidly, and want to equip all employees with guidance on how to hire, train, coach, and support employees to foster a diverse and inclusive environment. For roles that don’t require prior energy experience, we are willing to recruit outside the industry, as needed, to ensure our candidate pool is representative of our community. We hope that the Energy Scholars programme will inspire other organisations to host similar programs, which, over time, will have a meaningful impact on diversity in the solar industry. 

LevelTen’s Energy Scholars programme is not just about providing a pathway into the renewable energy sector, but also about nurturing a diverse talent pool that can lead to innovative solutions and a more inclusive industry. The solar sector can benefit from increased diversity through the infusion of fresh perspectives, innovative ideas, and increased cultural awareness within their organisations. We have seen a notable increase in employee engagement and satisfaction as a result of hosting our Energy Scholars programme. Additionally, the Energy Scholars often bring new insights into our projects, leading to enhanced problem-solving and creative solutions.

One of the goals of the Diversity Champion Awards is to highlight successful initiatives and practices that can serve as shining examples for others, and we see our Energy Scholars Programme as just that: a programme that others within the clean energy industry can replicate in their own organisations. Earning the award gives us an opportunity to spread awareness of the programme, and to inspire other organisations to replicate it. We are happy to share our playbook and key learnings with any organisation that is interested in hosting their own Energy Scholars programme, or something similar. Ultimately, our goal is to nurture a diverse talent pool that can lead to innovative solutions and a more inclusive industry; and if we can inspire others to replicate the programme, we can really scale up the impact. We chose this initiative because it aligns with our mission to create a more inclusive and sustainable future, and because we believe that true innovation stems from diverse perspectives.

The great thing about the Energy Scholars model is that it can be adopted by other organisations in the energy sector, no matter their size. First, we suggest that the company reach out to its network, including customers, investors, partners and suppliers, to see who may be interested in sponsoring or supporting their programme. Then, they should open applications, and spread the word among relevant student organisations. To provide housing for the students over the summer, we also suggest that companies partner with a local university, which may be able to offer space in empty dormitories. Then, the company should prepare an agenda, lining up speakers from within their organisation and the industry. Finally, the programme host should secure volunteers to be mentors for each of the participating Scholars, and plan networking events with others in the industry. With more programmes like this, together we can make it possible for more people, of all backgrounds, to receive the training, access and network it takes to land a job in a competitive industry like ours.