A skill matrix template for solar and renewable energy equipment makers (free download)

Walk a solar equipment plant with a notebook and the skills change at every turn. A tabbing hand lays ribbon on a wafer cell. A burn-in technician watches inverter heat runs. A pack welder joins tabs on lithium cells, a purlin bender feeds a press brake, a fitter torques root bolts on a blade flange. Each can do a short list of tasks safely. Put those lists into one grid and cover, training and pay start to follow facts instead of hunches.

What follows is a grid for your spreadsheet, plus notes on filling it, reading it and keeping it alive. It sits inside the solar and renewable energy equipment group of HR pages. When the grid shows a gap, the solar component makers page on learning and development helps you plan the training.

COLUMNS, SOLAR MODULE LINE: cassette unloading. Tabbing and stringing. Layup and bussing. EVA and backsheet placing. Laminator loading. EL screen reading. Flasher test. Junction box potting. Framing and sealant.
COLUMNS, INVERTER AND CONTROL BOARDS: board soldering. Burn-in chamber run. Firmware flashing. Insulation and hipot test.
COLUMNS, BATTERY AND STORAGE: cell sorting. Tab welding. BMS flashing. Busduct and cable lug torque. Enclosure and HVAC fitting.
COLUMNS, STRUCTURES AND WIND PARTS: tube cutting. Punching. Weld and fit-up jig. Galvanising dip handling. Crane and forklift. Blade root bolt tightening.
CELL VALUES: 0 untrained. 1 learning, watched. 2 works alone. 3 can teach and sign off a colleague.
ROW EXTRAS: date of last practice. Date of last sign-off. Name of the signer.
FOOT OF EACH COLUMN: how many people hold 2 or 3 on each shift.

1. 1

   Name stations in floor words

   Use what people call the place: the stringer, the laminator, burn-in, hipot, the dip. Words only HR uses will confuse the lead.

2. 2

   Let the shift lead give the first scores

   The lead has watched the hands. HR or the plant head reads the sheet afterwards and asks for the reason behind any 3.

3. 3

   Sign off on observed work

   A 2 follows a supervised run and a signature. A 3 follows the person teaching a colleague. A course certificate alone is not enough.

4. 4

   Count the foot of each column

   The bottom figure matters most. A column with one name on a shift can stop the line the day that person is off.

5. 5

   Date the last practice

   A hand who has not run the laminator for four months is rusty. Drop the figure until a practice run is recorded.

• Tabbing: lays ribbon without tug, keeps the iron tip clean and at the set temperature, lifts a string with both hands, reports a cracked cell straight away.
• Laminator loading: lays EVA and backsheet flat, centres the module, watches the diaphragm cycle and reports a bubble or a vent leak.
• Burn-in chamber: racks the inverters, torques the cable lugs to the set value, reads the heat log and aborts a run on a fault.
• Tab welding: sets weld current for the cell tab, spots a poor nugget and keeps the cell rack free of loose metal.
• BMS flashing: loads the right firmware to the right pack, records the serial and rechecks cell voltages afterwards.
• Galvanising dip: hooks the purlins, works the pendant and wears the right kit near the zinc bath.

Pin these points on a card at the station. The card becomes the test. If the person manages every line unaided, the lead signs the 2.

Shade the cells by value and step back from the screen. A red column means few people can do that job. Red on the second or third shift is the first to mend. Then notice who holds a 3 in many columns. Those people train others, and they can also walk. Plan their growth, their pay review and a successor.

• Stringing with one 2 on nights: book training this month.
• Burn-in with no 3 on any shift: borrow a trainer or pair the night crew with a day hand.
• Crane column held only by contract hands: induct and sign off your own people.
• BMS flashing with one engineer: write the steps down and train a deputy.

• The shift lead edits after training, a new joiner or a transfer.
• The plant head scans every row once a month.
• Each quarter HR picks two rows and watches the person do the task.
• Pay bands link to the grid, so a step up in value reaches a pay talk.

To see how pay steps can follow values, read the solar inverter manufacturers compensation page. If you want a version built around your own stations, send details through requirements.

The grid is filled once, then framed. Everyone gets a 2 out of kindness. A training attendance sheet stands in for sign-off. Contract hands and trainees, who are often the cover, are left off. Avoid these and the sheet tells the truth.