Amy Atchley is the co-founder and owner of Amy’s Roofing & Solar, a solar and roofing company based in Sonoma County, California. After 16 years as a high school educator, Amy made a bold leap during the pandemic, leaving the classroom to build a purpose-driven trades business alongside her husband. Together, they’ve created not just a company, but new kinds of skilled jobs to meet the demands of the clean energy transition. Amy is part of a growing movement of leaders reshaping the trades through innovation, inclusion and equity.In this episode we cover: > Amy’s Career Pivot: From high school teacher to co-founder of a solar roofing company> Solar Roofing as a Net New Skilled Job: How clean energy is creating hybrid roles that didn’t exist before> On-the-Job Training: Why most training happens hands-on and the lack of standardized solar & roofing education> Workforce Challenges: Aging workforce, difficulty finding people willing to do physically demanding roofing jobs, and the ongoing “race to the bottom” in contractor pricing> Immigration + Labor Inequity: Amy discusses undocumented labor, exploitation, how contractors skirt the system, and why the system makes it so hard to do the right thing> California Policy Friction: Why current licensing and apprenticeship models don’t support solar and battery storage roles, and the tension between the solar and electrician worlds in California> Advice to Her Younger Self: “Do the thing you want to do. Don’t psych yourself out. You’ll figure it out along the way.”> Finding Mentorship: The importance of a mentor when you’re starting a business. Shoutout to Letitia Hanke of The LIME Foundation and ARS Roofing----- Guest info: Amy Atchley, Co-Founder & Owner, Amy's Roofing & Solar✉️: [email protected] Connect with The Skilled Project: Founder, Amanda Luchetti; ✉️: [email protected] on Instagram, TikTok & LinkedInSubscribe to newsletter Like the podcast? 🎧Subscribe to the podcastLeave a kickass review Know someone Skilled AF? Submit a story hereHosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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