The oilsands workers in the Wood Buffalo area and beyond may gain an opportunity to learn solar skills if a plan by the group Iron & Earth is successful. The group consists of both former and current oilsands workers, and the goal is to train those in this industry in solar skills so that they are qualified to install solar panels. Iron & Earth was founded by Lliam Hildebrand, who is a boilermaker from Victoria, and the group is seeking assistance from the Alberta government to succeed. Lliam gave a phone interview about the plan and said “I’ve been working in the oilsands for the last six years and it’s always been a conversation some of us have had on site, diversifying our trades to incorporate renewables into our work scope. I’ve never gone into my union hall and seen a renewable energy project posted on the job board.”

Before starting Iron & Earth Hildebrand worked for many oil companies which hire oilsands workers, and he saw a need to diversify worker skills and this included solar skills as renewable energy saw a higher demand. Hildebrand explained that “There will be a continued need for the oilsands for a number of decades to come. But in terms of energy sources, we definitely need to move towards renewable energy to meet our climate change commitments and avoid damaging climate change impacts. With development likely accelerating, there’s going to be lots of work to do in terms of that growth. The mission of Iron & Earth is to catalyze the renewable energy sector in Canada.”