CTE Month edition!

February is Career and Technical Education Month, so we’re excited to share with you the story of two young solar installers – photon technicians – who helped install a solar array on Amherst High School, along with additional resources and upcoming events that you can use to support your students as they investigate which career is right for them.

Photon Technicians

By Samara Hamze, KEEP Program Manager

In mid-August 2025 I visited Amherst High School to learn about the solar photovoltaic array that was being installed on a portion of the school’s roof. I was particularly interested in learning about the Career and Technical Education (CTE) skills the crew members found useful in their jobs in the solar industry.

The demand for clean electricity will continue to rise and with it the need for solar PV installers who graduate from high school with skills acquired in CTE classes and complementary work-based learning. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of solar PV installers is projected to grow 42 percent from 2024 to 2034. Together KEEP and CTE teachers across Wisconsin are helping prepare high school students for careers in renewable energy.

I arrived at the school mid-morning and met with Isaiah “Zay” Miller, Commercial Project Manager at Northwind Solar and the crew’s supervisor. Zay has been in the solar industry for more than seven years and likes the problem-solving aspects of the job. He said that skills useful for careers in solar installation include reading a tape measure, leveling modules, basic carpentry and being able to lift modules on the roof.

Zay gave me and a partner from RENEW Wisconsin an introduction to the project before we climbed about 25 feet up a ladder to access the school's roof where the rest of the crew was working. Among the crew of eight were two recent high school graduates, both in their first year with Northwind. I chatted with them to find out how their high school CTE courses had prepared them for their current jobs in the solar industry.

Careers in Energy

Have you explored KEEP’s Careers in Energy page yet?

This page is a collection of resources for educators, students, and industry partners to explore energy careers. Whether you’re looking for classroom speakers, websites for your students to explore, or data on energy jobs, we have you covered.

We even have a Blower Door Kit for your residential construction students to test their skills at building efficient homes.

Visit KEEP's Careers in Energy Page

Gavin Lee, Northwind Photon Technician

Education: Stevens Point Area Senior High School - Class of 2025

Which high school classes helped prepare you for your current job?

Dan Stoebel's Small Engines class had a unit on renewable energy. Gavin first learned about renewable energy while completing a project for that class. He also took CTE classes in auto, woods, and metals.

What’s next?

Gavin plans to keep working for the foreseeable future.

Oliver Hylla, Northwind Photon Technician

Education: Amherst High School - Class of 2025

Which high school classes helped prepare you for your current job?

Advanced Construction and Electrical Engineering helped the most, as well as woodworking and more general CTE classes.

Oliver also participated in a career-based learning experience where he job shadowed at the Midwest Renewable Energy Association.

What is your advice to students considering working in the solar industry?

“Take as many tech ed classes as possible, also dual-credit classes, and get experience in the field.”

What’s next?

Oliver has applied for an IBEW electrician apprenticeship and continues to live at home to save money.

Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities

In-person Offerings

• Elementary Energy Explorations | 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., April 11, 2026 | Sarona

• Elementary Energy Explorations | 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., May 2, 2026 | Manitowish Waters

• Leaves, Light and Learning: Early Childhood Education in the Outdoors | 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., April 27, 2026 | Franklin

On-Demand Offerings

• Climate Education for Wisconsin – On-Demand

• Climate Education for Wisconsin – CERTIFICATE VERSION – On-Demand

• Energy Education: Concepts and Practices - Online Module

View KEEP's PD List

KEEP's Year in Review

Take a look at all the places KEEP has been this past year! We’re proud to be able to serve educators all over the state.

See a blank spot on the map where you are? Check out a KEEP Kit, invite KEEP staff to lead Professional Development at your school or district, or inspire a local green team to compete in Renew Our Schools or apply for a Green Team Mini-Grant!

View the Year in Review graphic

Spring Conference Preview

Heading to the Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers (WSST) Conference March 12-14, in Appleton? We’d love to see you there! Advanced registration runs through February 15.

Join us at a KEEP or LEAF session, or stop by our exhibit table to say hi!

Tree Identification: Beyond the Leaf Collection | Thursday 9-11 a.m.
Balancing Carbon Sources and Sinks | Thursday 1-2:45 p.m.
A Forest of Opportunity: Exploring Diverse Forestry Careers | Thursday 2-3 p.m.
Connect, Explore, Engage: Bridging Science and Sustainability in the Classroom | Friday 8-9 a.m.
AgriSolar Innovations: Exploring the Dual-Use of Land for Agriculture and Energy | Friday 2-3 p.m.
Branching Out: Engaging Students in Tree Seed Collection and Wisconsin’s Reforestation Efforts | Saturday 10-11 a.m.

We’d also love to see you at the Wisconsin TECHNOLOGY Education Association (WTEA) Conference! KEEP is partnering with Slipstream, ReStore of Juneau County, and Adams-Friendship High School Tech Ed program to lead the session “Building Science - Using Blower Door Technology in Construction” from 1:15-2:15 p.m. on Thursday, March 12.

Cool Career Day - Free Virtual Career Exploration

KEEP and CESA 12 have partnered again this year to bring K-5 classrooms a day of free virtual career exploration on Tuesday, May 5, 2026.

The Cool Career Day virtual event features five guest speakers who will share information about their exciting careers. Registered classrooms join via Zoom at scheduled times for each presentation between 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Optional career-related activities will be provided to keep students engaged and encourage participation between sessions.

Spring Green Team Mini-Grants are here!

Do you have students excited about doing an energy-related project to reduce their school’s carbon footprint? Want $300-700 to make it happen? Encourage your students to take the first step and submit their idea to KEEP by February 13. We can’t wait to see what projects your students want to accomplish!

Learn about Green Team Mini-Grants

Partner Opportunities!

KidWind’s REcharge Academy, focused on clean energy, is in St. Paul, Minnesota, from July 12-17. Scholarships are available! Applications are due March 1.

CREATE is running a Solar Institute at Madison Area Technical College from July 7-9, and a Solar + Storage Institute at Madison Area Technical College from July 21-23. Both include hotels, two meals a day, a stipend, and equipment awards. CREATE is also offering a Virtual Solar Institute in April and May. Applicants should apply by March 15.
To browse all upcoming CREATE energy workshops, visit their events page.

Save the Date!

The Wisconsin Association for Environmental Education’s (WAEE) Annual Celebration of Excellence will be held at Escuela Verde in Milwaukee on April 11, 2026!

The award program strives to acknowledge and encourage outstanding individuals and groups in their contributions to the field of environmental education. WAEE recognizes schools, youth groups, individual students, educators, and administrators for outstanding environmental efforts each year.

KEEP’s Energy Educator of the Year and LEAF's Wisconsin School Forest Awards will also be recognized at the celebration, so we hope you will join us to recognize the impact all of these awardees have made!

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The KEEP program is funded with generous support by Alliant Energy, Madison Gas and Electric, We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service, WPPI Energy, and Xcel Energy.

Published February 2026