Many cities and counties are using their EECBG grant funds to support professional development and training for their staff and community. By investing in workforce training programs, local governments can help retool skill sets for workers as well as diversify businesses and prepare them for projects in the clean energy sector. Energy training and certification programs empower internal staff and local businesses to implement building energy improvements and manage sustainability-related projects beyond the life of the grant funds.
With this in mind, the City of Raleigh has launched a Green Building Training Series Program to train those who work, live or conduct business within the City. In addition the city included a “train the trainer” component utilizing city staff who are experts in the subject. These trainers will take all the knowledge learned in these classes and pass it on to over 3000 City of Raleigh employees who are interested in new skills related to energy efficiency.
As Part of the Green Building Training Series, the City of Raleigh offer an intensive energy auditing class for city residents and businesses.
Since the program started, over 200 city residents have participated in the training courses, targeting the construction sector that has been hardest hit by the economic downturn: construction trades like building, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing. The training and certification courses empower contractors and small businesses with the knowledge and skills to market themselves in the growing green building sector. The program also ensures that Raleigh has a skilled workforce trained in cutting-edge technologies, enabling the City and its residents to improve the energy performance of its residential and commercial building stock.
The training classes are being offered in partnership with Wake Technical Community College and the North Carolina Solar Center. The courses cover the following topic areas: solar photovoltaic, solar thermal, sustainable landscaping, green plumbing, Building Performance Institute/energy auditing, and LEED Building Design & Construction. The solar photovoltaic installer course curriculum is based on the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Installer job task analysis. The course is accredited by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council and upon completion, students will have a thorough understanding of the tools used to complete site evaluations, perform necessary measurements and calculations, and specify balance of system components required to complete a fully functional solar PV system installation.
Participants learn how to install a solar thermal system at a recent Solar Thermal where the City of Raleigh partnered with the local community college, Wake Technical.
To be eligible for the program a participant must provide proof that he or she lives, works, or does business within the city of Raleigh. There is a $25 refundable seat reservation fee for the course which is returned upon completion of the course.
To view the course calendar and for more information on the trainings offered, visit the Green Building Training Series website or contact Lynn Graham with the City of Raleigh Office of Sustainability at Lynn.Graham@raleighnc.gov
For further questions or comments regarding energy training opportunities, please provide a comment to this post or contact a Technical Assistance Provider.
Content for this blog post courtesy of Mitch Brown, Southeast 2 Regional Coordinator, ICF International.