Michigan company is seeking to hire hundreds of local workers for solar project construction

Michigan — McCarthy Building Companies plans to hire more than 200 craft workers and 100 general laborers for Ranger Power’s Assembly Solar Project in Hazelton and Venice townships. The project – Michigan’s largest solar farm – is expected to create more than 300 jobs during construction.

“The Assembly Solar Project will provide clean, renewable energy to Michiganders while creating clean energy jobs in the region,” said Paul Harris, president of Ranger Power. “We’re excited to see construction begin on the Assembly Solar Project and we appreciate the continued support from the local community.”

McCarthy plans to hire more than 300 craft workers and general laborers to construct the project, the majority of whom are being recruited from the local community, and is seeking applicants for positions ranging from entry-level to experienced, including laborers, operators, crew leads, electricians and journeyman electricians.

Area residents interested in working on the construction of the Assembly Solar Project should visit www.McCarthy.com/careers/search, and enter “solar” to find job postings.

To train entry-level laborers or those new to the growing solar industry, McCarthy is implementing principles of Training Within Industry (TWI), a program originally developed by United States Department of War in the 1940s to help re-train workers quickly and reliably on moderately complex tasks.

Through its TWI solar program, McCarthy applies its “Learn. Perform. Repeat.” methodology and offers highly effective and efficient training to workers with little or no experience in solar installations. By deploying TWI and lean construction principles on solar projects from coast to coast, McCarthy is overcoming the biggest challenge faced by the construction industry today and successfully training its solar workforce.

“We are continually working to incorporate more sustainable construction practices into our projects and hire and train locally to be the best builder of clean energy solutions in the nation,” said Scott Canada, senior vice president of McCarthy’s Renewable Energy group. “We are grateful to team up with sustainable-minded solar owners that understand the value of solar infrastructure.”

Since 2010, McCarthy’s Renewable Energy group has completed or is in the process of constructing more than 45 utility-scale clean energy projects in communities across the country, delivering a combined capacity of more than 2.7 Gigawatts (GW) of clean energy production and over 320 MW of energy storage. Nationally, McCarthy provides Engineer, Procure, Construct (EPC) services on utility-scale solar projects for private solar developers and utilities, helping them deliver cost-effective clean energy to the communities they serve.

The Assembly Solar Project, which is being developed on a 1,200-acre site of primarily fields and vacant land, received broad community support throughout the planning process. It is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 394,000 tons annually in the short term – equivalent to the yearly emissions of 77,702 cars.