HIRE360, an Illinois-based workforce development nonprofit, in partnership with Pivot Energy, a national renewable energy independent producer, celebrated the graduation of Pivot Program Cohort 1, a workforce development initiative that helps people prepare for construction careers on clean energy projects. Pivot donated $180,000 for this training program and partnered with HIRE360 to co-design a 240-hour Solar Workforce Bootcamp Training Program in Chicago for 10 participants, which concluded on July 9, 2026. The program combined a 160-hour comprehensive pre-apprenticeship curriculum approved by North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU). The graduation ceremony, held at the HIRE360 Training Center on Chicago’s South Side, recognized the accomplishments of 10 graduates who completed the program and are pursuing careers in the skilled trades.

Photo Credit: Pivot Energy