November 18, 2010

NYSERDA Awards $90,130 to CV-TEC to Assist 20 North Country Adults on Path to Jobs as Certified Energy Efficiency Technicians

Funding Enables CV-TEC to Offer Training and Internships to Prepare Adults for Future Success in Building Performance Institute’s Building Analyst Certification Program

PLATTSBURGH, NY (November 18, 2010) — The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) today announced the award of $90,130 to CV-TEC to provide training, equipment and paid internship opportunities as a first step toward energy efficiency technician jobs in the North Country.

Under the agreement, CV-TEC will run Pre-Building Analyst (BA) training to prepare up to 20 adult students during the 2010-2011 academic year for entry into a Building Analyst certification program. The program will take place at CV-TEC’s main campus in Plattsburgh, N.Y.

“NYSERDA is proud to work with CV-TEC and other programs across New York that are offering vitally needed training for people to get jobs in the clean energy economy,” said Francis J. Murray, Jr., President and CEO of NYSERDA.

“NYSERDA's funding for training programs supports education across the continuum from work readiness to very technical training. This funding builds on CV-TEC's existing training curriculum to increase job success for a rural population, to expand New York’s ‘Green’ jobs and to improve energy efficiency in our state.”

The Pre-Building Analyst curriculum includes training in residential home construction, building science, combustion science and heating systems, and combustion safety. In addition, the CV-TEC training provides work-readiness skills (e.g. active listening, reading with understanding, conflict resolution and negotiations, problem-solving and critical decision-making, teamwork and communications) and mathematics for the construction industry.

According to Dr. Barry Mack, CV-TEC director, “As the region’s provider of Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, CV-TEC is eager to partner with NYSERDA in order to better serve the needs of our community and its residents. Our goal is to provide premier technical training opportunities for both high school students and adults.”

“This program will be a direct feeder to the Clinton Community College Building Analyst program,” said James R. McCartney III, principal of CV-TEC’s Satellite Campus. “We have a few spots left and are seeking interested adults for this green jobs-focused training. We expect this training to become a model for BOCES across New York State to help build a ‘Green’ energy workforce.”

Many of the 128 million existing homes in the United States were built before today's higher energy code requirements were established. And, according to Building Performance Institute Inc., a non-profit organization responsible for development of technical standards and professional credentialing for home performance and weatherization retrofit services, residences are responsible for 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the country, because they use so much fossil fuel.

NYSERDA is working with partners across the state to offer training opportunities to support energy efficiency programs approved by the NYS Public Service Commission. It is funding the CV-TEC program to provide career pathways to jobs in the energy efficiency sector that help improve energy efficiency, reduce energy costs and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.

These jobs include conducting energy assessments, diagnosing energy efficiency problems, prioritizing repairs and providing homeowners with a forecast of their return-on-investment through energy savings, as well as implementation of energy efficiency improvements, such as installing weather stripping or insulation, upgrading thermostats, repairing and replacing storm windows, and replacing inefficient electric fixtures. They also include manufacturing or installing clean energy technologies, such as solar heat and hot water systems.

The first of two Pre-BA trainings will be held from Nov. 18, 2010 through Jan. 31 2011, Monday through Friday, 4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Paid internships for the top 12 participants will take place between end of January and mid-May; students not in the top 12 will have non-paid job shadowing opportunities during that time.

In addition to the training itself, the NYSERDA funding will pay for a work experience coordinator to find paid internships for training participants and training equipment, including a blower door, which tests how air tight a house is; a manometer, which measures air leakage; a carbon dioxide detector; a gas leak detector; and a thermal camera, which measures heat loss.

NYSERDA funding helps to offset the cost of running the course and, in effect, helps to keep tuition costs low.

To register for the Pre-Building Analyst Training Program, please contact Kathleen Miller at (518) 536-7344. For tuition funding opportunities, please contact Jane Wray at (518) 516-0430 ext. 3083 or Patty Goodell at (518) 516-0430 ext. 3004.

About NYSERDA

NYSERDA, a public benefit corporation, offers objective information and analysis, innovative programs, technical expertise and funding to help New Yorkers increase energy efficiency, save money, use renewable energy, and reduce their reliance on fossil fuels. NYSERDA professionals work to protect our environment and create clean-energy jobs. NYSERDA has been developing partnerships to advance innovative energy solutions in New York since 1975.

Contact:

Dayle Zatlin
(518) 862-1090, ext. 3359
dez@nyserda.ny.gov