Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing

Guide to SOMAH 
Job Training Requirements

Designed for solar contractors to learn and understand the job training requirements of the SOMAH Program.

The SOMAH Program was created by the California Legislature to help reduce energy bills for low-income residents and provide thousands of paid job training opportunities to community members.

Welcome to SOMAH

California’s Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing (SOMAH) Program offers significant financial incentives and energy cost savings to affordable housing tenants and property owners.
To successfully receive the incentive payment, contractors assist property owners throughout the SOMAH application process and ensure all program requirements are completed.
This guidebook is designed to help contractors understand and accomplish one of SOMAH’s essential requirements – hiring eligible job trainees for every SOMAH project.

Table of Contents
I.	Job Training Requirements Overview
II.	Required Number of Job Trainees & Hours 
III.	Job Trainee Eligibility Requirements
IV.	Promotion of Local & Targeted Hiring
V.	Types of Job Training
VI.	Wage Requirements
VII.	How to Get Started
VIII.	SOMAH Job Training Portal
IX.	Early Job Trainee Terminations & Required Notifications
X.	Additional Resources

I. Job Training Requirements Overview
Providing job training and workforce development opportunities is an integral part of the SOMAH Program. It stimulates economic and workforce development by providing thousands of paid job training opportunities to community members and gives contractors an opportunity to connect to potential long-term employees for their team.
As a qualification for a SOMAH incentive, projects must complete all job training requirements. 
Contractors are responsible for leading and completing the following:
●	Hire the appropriate number of job trainees.
●	Enter and manage job training opportunities for each project in the SOMAH Job Training Portal, beginning at least 60 days before installation begins. 
●	Pay job trainees according to SOMAH’s wage requirements within 30 days of the actual work.
●	Have insurance that covers job training hires, including temporary hires.
●	Ensure all hired trainees have completed the Job Trainee Intake Form.
●	Submit the Job Training Affidavit with the Incentive Claim Package.
●	Respond to surveys regarding each job trainee.
More details of contractors’ responsibilities will be outlined throughout this guidebook.

II. Required Number of Job Trainees & Hours 
Contractors must hire the appropriate number of eligible job trainees for each project. The number of required job trainees and work hours depends on the size of the system based on the CEC-AC rating.

System Size (CEC-AC)	Required Number 
of Job Trainees	Required Number of 
Work Hours Per Trainee	
0kW - <50kW	1 trainee	40 hours or more	
50kW - <100 kW	2 trainees	40 hours or more	
100kW and greater	2 trainees	80 hours or more	

III. Job Trainee Eligibility Requirements
Contractors must find job trainees that meet one of the following criteria:
●	Be currently enrolled in an eligible job training program.
●	Recently graduated from an eligible job training program within 12 months of the start date of the SOMAH installation.
●	Live in a property that is participating in SOMAH.
●	An existing employee of a SOMAH contractor that meets one of the criteria above.
Job training eligibility lasts for 12 months beginning from the trainee’s first day of work on any SOMAH project, so job trainees can work on multiple SOMAH projects for up to 12 months.
Eligible job training programs include PV training programs with 40+ hours of hands-on installation or design training offered to the public by a California Community College, local government workforce development program, community nonprofit, private enterprise or the electrical workers union. Also eligible are career technical education programs related to green building construction or design offering 40+ hours of instruction. 
For a complete list of SOMAH-eligible job training programs, see the SOMAH Job Training Organization Directory.
The SOMAH Program Administrator (PA) team can support contractors with recruiting eligible job trainees for each project. 

IV. Encouragement of Local & Targeted Hiring
The SOMAH Program’s local and targeted hiring initiatives are designed to ensure that jobs are directed to community members who need them most. While local and targeted hiring are not required by the program, they are strongly encouraged.
Local hire is defined as an individual who resides within the county where the SOMAH project is located.
Targeted hire can include the following:
●	Residents of disadvantaged communities
●	Affordable housing residents
●	Women
●	People of color
●	Individuals who have faced or have overcome employment barriers

V. Types of Job Training
Job trainees can participate directly on the solar installation or in a supporting role for the SOMAH project. The job training may occur on or off the project site. The different types of responsibilities a job trainee may participate in are outlined. 

PV Installers
Install system components such as:
•	Raceway
•	Electrical equipment
•	DC PV system conductors
•	AC PV system conductors
•	Grounding and bonding
•	System monitoring, control and hardware
•	Battery equipment
•	Ground-mounted structure
•	Building-mounted system
•	PV modules

Project Designer
Perform tasks such as:
•	Assessing project sites
•	Configuring mechanical design
•	Configuring electrical design
•	Configuring system monitoring, control and communications design
•	Preparing project documentation
•	Securing permits and approvals
•	Adapting system design

Commissioning and Maintenance
Conduct activities such as:
•	Reviewing or developing commissioning protocol
•	Completing visual and mechanical inspection
•	Conducting mechanical and electrical tests
•	Confirming project completion
•	Orienting end user to system
•	Verifying system operation and performance structure
•	Performing preventive and corrective maintenance

VI. Wage Requirements
The SOMAH Program was designed to create job training opportunities that lead to well-paid jobs. For this reason, the program includes a wage floor that requires a job trainee to be paid at either of the following (whichever is higher):
●	Contractor’s entry level rate.
●	1.4 times the minimum wage of the city where the SOMAH project is located.
o	If the city or county has no mandated minimum wage, the California state minimum wage should be assumed. 
o	It is the contractor’s responsibility to verify the most updated local minimum wage at the time of installation.
All trainees must be paid within 30 days of the actual work. In addition to these wage requirements, contractors must have insurance that covers hired job trainees, including temporary hires. 
The SOMAH PA will revisit the wage floor periodically as average wages increase.
VII. How to Get Started
Recruitment for job trainees should begin at least 60 days before the start of an installation. In the SOMAH application process, this will typically occur in the Proof of Project Milestone. 
To start recruiting, contractors must log in to the SOMAH Job Training Portal to manage the job training requirements for each SOMAH project. Contractors will receive login information to the job training portal via email within three business days after attending the contractor webinar and submitting the requested contact information. 
Different resources and tools are offered on the portal to make it easier to connect with trainees such as: 
●	A job board to post and manage open trainee positions. 
●	A resume bank for contractors to search for eligible trainees.
●	A job training organization directory to connect with prospective trainees.				
Contractors must post each SOMAH job training opportunity on the job board at least 60 days before installation begins but may choose to keep the job posting hidden and recruit job trainees via other means.
Contractors must ensure all hired job trainees have completed the Job Trainee Intake Form.

VIII. SOMAH Job Training Portal
The SOMAH Job Training Portal offers contractors three different ways to recruit and hire job trainees.
Job Board
To post a new job, the following information will be required:
●	Company name
●	Position title 
●	Job description
●	Project city
●	City or local minimum wage
●	SOMAH project ZIP code
●	SOMAH application number
Contractors are not limited on the number of job openings they can post or have active. Additionally, contractors can review and manage their active job openings by visiting the Manage Jobs page. Once a position is filled, contractors should mark the job training opportunity as filled or closed on the job board.

Job Description
We recommend the following information to be included in the job description field:
•	Location (city, county, neighborhood)
•	Start and end date
•	Hourly wage
•	Other benefits or equipment provided
•	# of positions available 
•	Company description
•	List of specific tasks that job trainees will perform
Any specific experience

VIII. SOMAH Job Training Portal (cont.)
Resume Bank
The resume bank has a pool of eligible job trainees located throughout California, making it easier for contractors to identify trainees for a project. 
Right away, contractors have access to the following information for each job trainee:
●	Full name
●	Phone number
●	Email address
●	City and state
●	Desired job position
●	Relevant certifications
●	Resume
●	Cover letter (optional)
Contractors can narrow down the list of job trainees based on location, certifications and keywords. 

Job Training Organization Directory
Use this resource to connect with SOMAH-eligible job training programs that have students who may be currently active or have recently graduated. Visit the job training programs’ website or contact the school or organization directly to gain more information about their students. The SOMAH PA can also connect contractors directly to eligible job training organizations in the project region.
IX. Early Job Trainee Terminations & Required Notifications
Job training requirements must be completed to receive a SOMAH incentive payment. However, exceptions may be made in rare and extenuating circumstances, such as unplanned early terminations or resignations of a job trainee (voluntary or involuntary). 
Contractors will be expected to complete alternative compliance pathways determined by the SOMAH PA in order to fulfill the job training requirement.
The SOMAH PA recommends contractors identify alternative trainees available for a project to prepare for unplanned losses of a job trainee. In such cases, contractors will be expected to make every reasonable effort to hire a new trainee to comply with the requirements. 

To obtain exceptions to the job training requirements, contractors must contact the SOMAH PA within five business days of the early termination or resignation to discuss the program options. 
For inquiries regarding early terminations (voluntary or involuntary), contractors must contact the SOMAH PA by emailing workforce@calSOMAH.org. 

X. Additional Resources
The SOMAH PA can support contractors with:
●	Job trainee recruitment and placement.
●	Guidance using the SOMAH Job Training Portal.
●	Connection to local job training organizations.
●	Education on successful hiring and training.
●	Questions about job training requirements.
Contact us by email at workforce@calSOMAH.org. 
    
Check out the SOMAH resources available online:
●	Read about solar engineer Oscar Flores and his SOMAH job training journey.
●	Watch the Job Training Overview Webinar.
●	Find job trainees near your location through the Job Training Organization Directory.

Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing

Start recruiting job trainees today using our
SOMAH Job Training Portal

858-244-1177 ext. 5
workforce@calsomah.org
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