Although many types of training and workforce development may be needed to establish a robust, local energy professional workforce, program administrators do not need to create all of these training courses themselves. Many organizations provide training and education for energy efficiency upgrade professionals.

Partnering with national or local organizations, community colleges, local universities, the U.S. Department of Agricultural Extension Service, local home builders associations, Weatherization Training Centers, and other trade organizations can be a sustainable way to meet the needs of current and future professionals in your area.

Tip: Contact the State or Local Workforce Investment Board (WIB) for your area. WIBs direct federal, state, and local funding to workforce development programs and can connect you to local training programs that might be interested in partnering. WIBs also oversee thousands of One-Stop Career Centers, where job seekers can get employment information, find out about career development training opportunities, and connect to various programs in their area.

 

Linking local energy professionals to continuing education credit courses can help boost their skills across a wide range of training areas. Organizations that provide continuing education credits for professionals at workshops and conferences include:

Many of these organizations also offer online continuing education opportunities.

Tip: Professional memberships, training, and continuing education can be expensive. To make professional development more affordable for your workforce, consider providing scholarships, grants, tuition reimbursement programs, or low-interest loan programs.

 

 

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GET ENERGY SMART

Eagle County, Colorado's, Energy Smart program has partnered with Colorado Mountain College to provide training. Energy Smart chose to partner with Colorado Mountain College because it had offered training to prepare for BPI certification in the past and was familiar with the structure and content of the course.

To be able to access a cadre of trained contractors with as wide a range of backgrounds as possible to perform home energy assessments, Eagle County has targeted a variety of building professionals for BPI training, including electricians, plumbing and mechanical contractors, window contractors, and insulation professionals.

Energy Smart promotes its training programs in press releases to the local media, on the program's website, in local newspapers, at local home builder association events, and through direct emails and cold calls to contractors.