ABOUT IRON & EARTH

Iron & Earth is a worker-led organization whose mission is to empower fossil fuel industry and Indigenous workers to build and implement climate solutions. Our overarching intention is to help create an environmentally and socially prosperous planet. Our vision is that fossil fuel industry and Indigenous workers will play a leading role in building the policy and infrastructure required to reach global climate targets. Our top-level goal is to help ensure a prosperous transition towards global carbon neutrality by 2050. 

We carry out our unique purpose through our regional chapters, national advocacy campaigns, upskilling programs, climate mitigation projects, technology platforms and community building events.

Declining production from conventional oil and gas fields has left 170,000+ inactive and abandoned wells and more than 136,000 hectares of disturbed land in Alberta. The RenuWell Project aims to accelerate both the clean up of these sites, while also utilizing the existing roads, powerlines, and disturbed lands to reduce the costs for renewable energy projects. The RenuWell Project partners, including Elemental Energy, the Municipal District of Taber, Irrigation Canal Power Co-op Ltd., Canadian Solar, SkyFire Energy Inc., Iron & Earth and Medicine Hat College, received $2.1 million in funding from the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre’s Municipal Community Generation Challenge (MCGC) supporting pilot project deployment to show the benefits of expansion of the repurposing concept. The Municipal Climate Change Action Centre is a partnership of Alberta Municipalities, Rural Municipalities of Alberta, and the Government of Alberta founded in 2009 to provide funding, technical expertise, and education to help municipalities, schools, non-profits, and community organizations implement clean energy projects and improve climate resilience.

Iron & Earth and Medicine Hat College have collaborated to host the inaugural RenuWell Workforce Training Program from June 20 - 27, 2022. Supported by the MCGC funding and partner contributions for the pilot project, the first offering of the Program will be available at no cost to the participants. 

The RenuWell Workforce Training Program provides context on how to best utilize inactive oil and gas sites for renewable energy projects including the unique considerations for these types of projects and the importance of incorporating Indigenous traditional knowledge and practices throughout the project life cycle. To deepen participant understanding of these important contributions,the in-class portion of the program will include cross-cultural learning guided by a local Elder and education regarding reconciliation, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and Indigenous perspectives on renewable energy. 

We are currently accepting applications from fossil fuel industry and Indigenous workers based across Southern Alberta with an interest in learning the skills needed to participate in solar project design, installation and maintenance on projects utilizing inactive oil and gas sites. We are specifically seeking candidates based in Southern Alberta.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM 

We honour and acknowledge that the RenuWell Workforce Training Program locations are situated on Treaty 7 and neighbouring Treaty 4 territory, traditional lands of the Siksika (Blackfoot), Kainai (Blood), Piikani (Peigan), Stoney-Nakoda, and Tsuut’ina (Sarcee) as well as the Cree, Sioux, and the Saulteaux bands of the Ojibwa peoples, and on the homelands of the Métis Nation Region III.

Title

RenuWell Workforce Training Program

The RenuWell Workforce Training Program will include 6 days of training sessions held Monday to Friday from approximately 8 AM - 4 PM MT daily during June 20 to 27, 2022. Prior to the program commencement, between June 9 and June 17, 2022, trainees will have an opportunity to complete prerequisite safety tickets and certifications. The first week of the program will include in-class learning and simulations at the Medicine Hat College campus. On June 27, the training program will take place at the RenuWell Project pilot sites located near Taber, Alberta, providing participants with hands-on solar photovoltaic system installation experience. 

Conceptual Lens

The conceptual lens brings focus to the treatment and delivery of content. For this course, the conceptual lens is:

The knowledge and experience in this course empower participants to contribute to the reclamation of inactive oil and gas sites to support solar photovoltaic electricity production. The knowledge and experience in this course also empower participants to find meaningful work along related career pathways. 

Key Concepts 

These concepts support the delivery of course content through the conceptual lens identified. By the end of the course, participants will understand how multiple pieces of content contribute to:

• Safety
• Efficiency
• Climate Change
• Cultural Connections
• Net-Zero Future
• Renewable Careers

Course Outcomes

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Demonstrate environmental, community and safe work awareness on a RenuWell project site
• Understand how oil and gas experts can work with solar photovoltaic (PV) designers to assess an inactive well site for hosting a solar installation
• Understand the process of and assist with designing, developing, and constructing a utility-scale solar PV array
• Perform as part of a team to complete tasks critical to the construction and commissioning of the solar PV array at the site
• Understand the work associated with the ongoing operation and maintenance of a solar array

Course Outline

1. Unit 1: Introduction 
2. Unit 2: Lease Inspection for Solar Installation
3. Unit 3: Site Preparation for Solar Installation
4. Unit 4: Solar Array Construction and Commissioning
5. Unit 5: Solar Array Operation, Maintenance and End-of-Life

REQUIRED AND PREFERRED APPLICANT QUALITIES  

Participants in this course must:

• Have completed Grade 10 (minimum)

Participants in this course should:

• Have experience in the fossil fuel industry

Or: 

• Be a member of an Indigenous community

And:

• Have experience in construction and/or general labour (including farm labour)
• Have a Class 5 Driver's Licence

Course participants will need to have the following active certifications/tickets in advance of the RenuWell Workforce Training Program start date:

• Standard First Aid
• WHMIS Training
• Construction Safety Training System (CSTS)
• Electrical Safety Training System (ESTS) - for Electrical Workers
• H2S Alive

Iron & Earth in coordination with Medicine Hat College will arrange for participants to obtain the listed certifications/tickets in advance of the RenuWell Workforce Training Program between June 9 - June 17, 2022. 

ADDITIONAL DETAILS 

Dates and Hours

• June 20 to 27, 2022; Monday to Friday from approximately 8 AM - 4 PM MT daily 

Locations

• Medicine Hat College Campus in Medicine Hat, Alberta
• RenuWell Project Pilot Sites located within 10 km of Taber, Alberta

How  to apply

• Please fill out the application form by clicking "Apply Here" below. 

Please note that the program delivery structure and location information is subject to change to ensure participant safety and wellness and in adherence to Alberta Health Services public health measures, restrictions and guidelines to reduce the spread COVID-19.