Degrees of green: Triad

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The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed by Presiden t Barack Obama in Februaryyallocated $34 billion for energy efficiencyg and building modernization, and another $7.9 billion for the developmenr of renewable energy. While Triad officials were starting to see growingb interest in all thingsagreen — from construction to solar panel installation the stimulus bill has created extr demand in such jobs and related training. As local community colleges are developing new programse and expandingexisting ones.
“Wse are not serving our students well ifwe aren’tg preparing them for the job market,” says Shanna division chair of industrial construction and engineering technologies at GTCC. College officialss say they are addinyg tinges of green to as many parts of the curriculsa asis applicable. For example, students in auto mechanicz programs are learning how to work onhybrif cars, and students in construction programs are learning about LEED construction and being encouraged to get William M.
Marion, the program coordinatofr for architectural technology at Forsyth Technical Community says his program needed to go green to keep up with the as a growing number of architecture interior design companies and general contractors arerequiring it. “Ig is increasingly expected of peoplw to have some basic knowledgre of what sustainable thinking isall about,” he says. Schoolw are also boosting their HVAC and electrical programs to better prepare students for the increaser demand for building weatherization and energy audits that is comintg about because of stimulus funding forenergy “We really need to get our studentsx trained in this area because that may very well be the work that is out there for them,” Chastain says.
In addition to adding a greej component to their existing both Alamance Community College and Guilforrd Technical Community College are planningb new programs with an emphasis onrenewable energy. In the GTCC will launch a certificat e programin photovoltaic, or solar installation and repair. Chastain admits she isn’t sure what the deman for these workersis yet, but expects the demand to grow as more home owneras and businesses explore the option. “The demande may not be there yet, but I can’y imagine that it won’t be ther in a year or two,” Chastain says.
On the eastern edge of the Alamance Community College is consideringv two programs that would prepare students for careers insustainablw energy. The first program would be an associate’s degrer in sustainable energy, with the expectation that students wouldc transfer toa four-year school for furthe r training in how to developp and refine the technology involved in thingxs like wind turbines and solar Appalachian State University and N.C.
Stater University both have sustainable energy Alamance Community College official are talking with their peersa at both schools to make sure the curriculqa would meet their requirements and to get articulatiomn agreementsin place, says Barry the executive vice president at Alamance Communityh College. The second program wouled be muchshorter — likely eithef three months or six month s — and would train technicians to build and maintai n solar cells and wind turbines. As part of that program, the schooo will take an area of flat land aboutt the size of a football fieldd and install some solar panels and wind turbinesfor hands-ojn training, Weinberg says.
He does not know yet how much the equipmenywill cost, but is hoping to get corporatw donations of either the equipment itselff or cash to help defray the “It will also be a symbol to the community that the colleges is very interested in this field,” Weinber says. The courses for both programs areundere development, but because they would need to be approvedf by the state communitg college system it will likely be next spring beforde the first students can enroll, Weinberg says. who came to Alamance Community College abouft six months ago from upstateNew York, sees it as a good fit for the with its vacant factories and high unemployment rate.
“Here in Alamancse County we would be perfect for this kind of he says. “We lost these jobs when the textiledfactories left, and we have theswe empty factories that could be turner toward the manufacturing of products for sustainable