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Mentorship Program

The Program Administrator will host the 2025-26 Mentorship Program Winter Cohort, an eight-week training series, from January 14 to March 4, 2026. Registration to participate as a mentee opened December 1, 2025 at 10 a.m. CPT, and closes December 12, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. CPT.

To advance the diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) objectives of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (Public Act 102-0662 or “CEJA”), and reflecting the Illinois Power Agency’s own commitment to DEI, CEJA directed the Agency to establish an Equity Accountability System, which established:  


In addition, CEJA established several monitoring, reporting, and facilitation requirements to support the assessment of the Equity Accountability System. One such requirement is providing training, guidance, and support for Approved Vendors and Designees to meet the requirements of the MES and participate in the EEC category. 

In order to help Approved Vendors and Designees meet these requirements and successfully participate in the Illinois Shines program, a Mentorship Program is offered annually. The Mentorship Program provides participants, or mentees, with training and presentations covering Program processes and requirements. It also facilitates opportunities to network with other market stakeholders. 

Approved Vendors and Designees that are certified as Equity Eligible Contractors and/or are minority-owned, woman-owned, veteran-owned, disability-owned, or are considered small businesses are encouraged to apply. 

Three contractors installing a solar panel in a field.

A project category hub provides additional information and resources for Equity Eligible Contractors, and additional Illinois Shines support can be accessed by contacting Conner Rettig, Equity Eligible Contractor Sector Strategist, at [email protected] or the Program Administrator team at [email protected]. 

Small & Emerging Business Guide

The Illinois Power Agency launched the Small & Emerging Business Hub as an effort to centralize key resources, tools, and information in one place to help small businesses navigate the clean energy landscape seamlessly. A Small and Emerging Business’s Guide to Participating with Illinois Shines and Illinois Solar for All is available.

Mentorship Program Details & Resources

Program Year 2025-26 Mentorship Program

Program Year 2025-26 Mentorship Program Winter Cohort

Registration is now open for the 2025-26 Mentorship Program Winter Cohort. AVs and Designees may now register as mentees here: Mentee Registration Form

The Mentorship Program provides mentees with virtual courses and trainings covering the Illinois Shines program processes and requirements. It also facilitates opportunities to network with other market stakeholders. Mentees are expected to attend each of the eight 75-minute virtual trainings to be held on Wednesdays at 11:00 a.m. CPT between January 14 and March 4, 2026, as well as an in-person networking event to be hosted on March 5.

AVs and Designees certified as Equity Eligible Contractors (EECs) and/or are minority-owned, woman-owned, veteran-owned, disability-owned, or are considered small businesses are encouraged to register as mentees.

Program Year 2025-26 Mentorship Program Fall Cohort

The eight-week Illinois Shines Program Year 2025-26 Mentorship Program Fall Cohort was held between September and November 2025, during which mentees completed virtual training courses and participated in live, interactive sessions with experienced AV mentors and the Program Administrator’s subject matter experts. 20 mentees participated, 17 of whom graduated, and who were supported by 12 mentors and 16 subject matter experts. The Fall cohort concluded with an in-person Graduation and Celebration Event on November 20, bringing together mentees, mentors, Illinois Power Agency and Illinois Shines staff, and subject matter experts, representatives from the IPA’s Illinois Solar for All program, and staff from HIRE360 who hosted the celebration. Additional details are available here.

CourseDateRecordingSlides
History of Illinois ShinesOctober 15, 2025RecordingSlides
How Illinois Shines WorksOctober 15, 2025RecordingSlides
Program Participant RolesOctober 15, 2025RecordingSlides
Approved Vendor Registration and RenewalOctober 15, 2025RecordingSlides
Designee Registration and RenewalOctober 15, 2025RecordingSlides
Certifying as an Equity Eligible Contractor (EEC)October 15, 2025RecordingSlides
Program CategoriesOctober 15, 2025RecordingSlides
Application Review ProcessOctober 22, 2025RecordingSlides
Part I and II Application TimelineOctober 22, 2025RecordingSlides
REC Contracting and Re-BatchingOctober 22, 2025RecordingSlides
Creating a BatchOctober 22, 2025RecordingN/A
Creating a Disclosure FormOctober 22, 2025RecordingN/A
Submitting a Part I ApplicationOctober 22, 2025RecordingN/A
Requesting an Advance of CapitalOctober 22, 2025RecordingSlides
Block Capacity Dashboard and Waitlist ProceduresOctober 29, 2025RecordingSlides
TCS and CDCS ScoringOctober 29, 2025RecordingSlides
Submitting a Part II ApplicationOctober 29, 2025RecordingN/A
Expansions, Co-Locations, and Size ChangesOctober 29, 2025RecordingSlides
Energization and ExtensionsOctober 29, 2025RecordingSlides
Assigning Projects to a New Approved VendorOctober 29, 2025RecordingSlides
Minimum Equity Standard (MES)November 5, 2025RecordingSlides
Annual Reporting and REC Performance EvaluationNovember 5, 2025RecordingSlides
Prevailing Wage RequirementsNovember 5, 2025RecordingSlides
Overview of SharePointNovember 5, 2025RecordingSlides
Inspection ProcessNovember 12, 2025RecordingSlides
Community Solar Subscriber VerificationNovember 12, 2025RecordingSlides
Designee Management PlanNovember 12, 2025RecordingSlides
Consumer Protection OverviewNovember 19, 2025RecordingSlides
Marketing OverviewNovember 19, 2025RecordingSlides
Website OverviewNovember 19, 2025RecordingN/A
Ongoing SupportNovember 19, 2025RecordingSlides

Mentees, mentors, Illinois Power Agency staff, Illinois Shines staff, and others at the Fall Mentorship Program Graduation. Copyright © Illinois Power Agency 2025. All Rights Reserved.

Mentees, mentors, Illinois Power Agency staff, Illinois Shines staff, and others at the Fall Mentorship Program Graduation. Copyright © Illinois Power Agency 2025. All Rights Reserved.

Mentees, mentors, Illinois Power Agency staff, Illinois Shines staff, and others at the Fall Mentorship Program Graduation. Copyright © Illinois Power Agency 2025. All Rights Reserved.

Mentees, mentors, Illinois Power Agency staff, Illinois Shines staff, and others at the Fall Mentorship Program Graduation. Copyright © Illinois Power Agency 2025. All Rights Reserved.

Mentees, mentors, Illinois Power Agency staff, Illinois Shines staff, and others at the Fall Mentorship Program Graduation. Copyright © Illinois Power Agency 2025. All Rights Reserved.

Mentees, mentors, Illinois Power Agency staff, Illinois Shines staff, and others at the Fall Mentorship Program Graduation. Copyright © Illinois Power Agency 2025. All Rights Reserved.

Mentees, mentors, Illinois Power Agency staff, Illinois Shines staff, and others at the Fall Mentorship Program Graduation. Copyright © Illinois Power Agency 2025. All Rights Reserved.

Mentees, mentors, Illinois Power Agency staff, Illinois Shines staff, and others at the Fall Mentorship Program Graduation. Copyright © Illinois Power Agency 2025. All Rights Reserved.

Mentees, mentors, Illinois Power Agency staff, Illinois Shines staff, and others at the Fall Mentorship Program Graduation. Copyright © Illinois Power Agency 2025. All Rights Reserved.

Program Year 2024-25 Mentorship Program

The Mentorship Program for the 2024-25 Program Year was held from January 6 to March 3, 2025 for 20 Approved Vendors and Designees participating as mentees. In addition, 11 experienced Approved Vendors and Designees participated as mentors by sharing insights on solar industry topics with mentees during virtual trainings. Please see the 2024-25 Mentorship Program Final Report (June 6, 2025) for details. The following resources from the Program Year 2024-25 Mentorship Program are made available here:

CourseLessonDateRecordingSlide Deck
Illinois Shines Program OverviewHistory of Illinois ShinesJanuary 13, 2025RecordingSlide Deck
How Illinois Shines WorksJanuary 13, 2025RecordingSlide Deck
Program Participant RolesJanuary 13, 2025RecordingSlide Deck
Approved Vendor (AV) Registration and RenewalJanuary 13, 2025RecordingSlide Deck
Designee Registration and RenewalJanuary 13, 2025RecordingSlide Deck
Program CategoriesJanuary 13, 2025RecordingSlide Deck
Application Processes and Portal Deep Dive Part 1Part I and II Application TimelineJanuary 27, 2025RecordingSlide Deck
Application Review ProcessJanuary 27, 2025RecordingSlide Deck
REC Contracting and Re-BatchingJanuary 27, 2025RecordingSlide Deck
Creating a BatchJanuary 27, 2025RecordingN/A
Creating a Disclosure FormJanuary 27, 2025RecordingN/A
Submitting a Part I ApplicationJanuary 27, 2025RecordingN/A
Expansions, Co-Locations, and Size ChangesJanuary 27, 2025RecordingSlide Deck
Application Processes and Portal Deep Dive Part 2Block Capacity Dashboard and Waitlist ProceduresFebruary 3, 2025RecordingSlide Deck
Energization and ExtensionsFebruary 3, 2025RecordingSlide Deck
TCS and CDCS ScoringFebruary 3, 2025RecordingSlide Deck
Submitting a Part II ApplicationFebruary 3, 2025RecordingN/A
Requesting an Advance of CapitalFebruary 3, 2025RecordingSlide Deck
Ongoing Program Requirements Part 1Minimum Equity Standard (MES)February 10, 2025RecordingSlide Deck
Annual Reporting and REC Performance EvaluationFebruary 10, 2025Recording Slide Deck
Prevailing Wage RequirementsFebruary 10, 2025RecordingSlide Deck
Overview of SharePointFebruary 10, 2025RecordingSlide Deck
Ongoing Program Requirements Part 2Inspection ProcessFebruary 17, 2025RecordingSlide Deck
Community Solar Subscriber VerificationFebruary 17, 2025RecordingSlide Deck
Designee Management PlanFebruary 17, 2025RecordingSlide Deck
Marketing Best Practices and Consumer ProtectionConsumer Protection OverviewFebruary 24, 2025RecordingSlide Deck
Marketing OverviewFebruary 24, 2025RecordingSlide Deck
Program Resources and Ongoing SupportWebsite OverviewMarch 3, 2025RecordingN/A
Ongoing SupportMarch 3, 2025RecordingSlide Deck

Program Year 2023-24 Mentorship Pilot Program

In 2023, the IPA developed a Mentorship Plan for Approved Vendors (AVs) and Designees that are Equity Eligible Contractors (EECs) and/or woman-owned, veteran-owned, disability-owned, or are considered small businesses with the goal of supporting new Program participants in understanding Program requirements and application procedures.

In October 2023 the Program launched a mentorship pilot to a cohort of 12 mentees, offering eight weeks of Program training that concluded in December 2023. Please see the Mentorship Pilot Program Final Report (March 1, 2024) for details. The following resources from the Program Year 2023 Mentorship Pilot Program are made available here:

PresentationDateRecordingSlide Deck
1. Illinois Shines Program Overview Part 1October 23, 2023RecordingSlide Deck
2. Illinois Shines Program Overview Part 2October 30, 2023RecordingSlide Deck
3. Application Processing & Portal Deep Dive Part 1November 6, 2023RecordingSlide Deck
3.1 Expansions, Co-Locations & Size ChangesNovember 6, 2023RecordingSlide Deck
3.2 REC ContractingNovember 6, 2023RecordingSlide Deck
4. Application Processing & Portal Deep Dive Part 2November 13, 2023RecordingSlide Deck
4.1 Part II Project Submission TutorialNovember 13, 2023Recording 
5. Ongoing Program Requirements Part 1November 27, 2023RecordingSlide Deck
6. Ongoing Program Requirements Part 2December 4, 2023RecordingSlide Deck
6.1 Navigating SharePointDecember 4, 2023RecordingSlide Deck
7. Marketing Best Practices and Consumer ProtectionDecember 11, 2023RecordingSlide Deck
8. Program Resources and Ongoing OpportunitiesDecember 18, 2023RecordingSlide Deck