How The Next Generation Of West Virginians Are Building A Way Out Of The State’s Coal Economy

Called the Coalfield Development Corporation, Dennison’s organization trains and employs young people and former mine workers across five social enterprises, which focus on construction (especially affordable housing), minefield remediation, arts and culture projects, sustainable agriculture, and solar energy initiatives. Through a 33-6-3 model—33 hours of paid work per week, six hours of classroom time toward an associates’ degree, three hours of life skills—Coalfield Development has trained around 50 West Virginians in new careers, launched five new businesses, and redeveloped over 150,000 square feet of dilapidated property.If there’s hope for West Virginia to move beyond coal and toward renewable energy, it will come from people like Conant, who in 2015 teamed up with Dennison and Coalfield Development to grow his team of solar installers across the state. Solar Holler, whose goal it is to bring solar energy to local nonprofits, is up to six full-time installers and another eight part-time, who have passed the training and certification course offered through Coalfield Development’s program. Conant oversees around one or two solar installs per week and receives around a dozen from West Virginia nonprofits interested in the model.