$500K award could lead to jobs, spike in green building

Thanks to a recent federal block grant and a $500,000 award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the Philly green building industry is gearing up for a huge boom, meaning new jobs, an increase in manufacturing and a boost in the local economy.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors gave $500K from the Wal-Mart Foundation in June for the Philly Gears Up for the Green Economy program, designed to prepare high school students and incumbent workers to enter the green workforce.

In collaboration with the Energy Coordinating Agency (ECA), training will be provided by the James L. Knight Green Jobs Training Center in Fairhill, which is already one of the region’s leading trainers in weatherization and retrofitting, energy auditing and construction safety.
The city was awarded millions of stimulus dollars last year through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program that, among other things, will provide monetary incentives to property-owners looking to retrofit for increased energy efficiency.
These big incentive bucks will translate to an explosion in demand for certified workers, and certification will be much more attainable for many workers thanks to the Wal-Mart Foundation award.
“We are going to see a scramble for certified workers,” says Walter Yakabosky, Director of Training at the James L. Knight Green Jobs Training Center. “I just met with a contractor today who has expanded his business. He has to get his current work-force certified, and he needs to hire and train 15 additional people.”

Contractors often have to pay huge out-of-pocket expenses to train their workers, but the funds provided through the Wal-Mart Foundation will subsidize tuition at the training center, sometimes up to 100 percent, allowing more contractors to get their workers certified.
“Most people in the construction industry today are used to building new,” says Yakabosky. “They have no clue as to how to retrofit using new technologies. It’s no different than replacing the key-punch operator when the computer became available. The workforce needs to be retrained.”
But that $500,000 award doesn’t stop with employers and incumbent workers. The funds have also allowed the training center to begin a pilot program for Philadelphia high school students interested in pursuing energy conservation or building science.
Beginning in January, 20 high school seniors will head to the training center in the afternoons and receive skills training and education in building science and energy-efficient design.
In addition to learning skills hands-on, participating students will be able to receive college credit for their training through a partnership with the Community College of Philadelphia.
The Green Jobs Training Center is also hosting a summer internship program for high school students in partnership with the National Parks Service. Through this program, students are educated in building science in order to act as tour guides in federal buildings and point out projects underway for increased energy efficiency.
“We’re only doing these trainings because the nature of the climate is so ripe for job creation,” says Yakabosky, who says that an increase in demand for energy-efficient buildings will mean more than just new jobs. “Now that the housing market is down, the big demand is going to be for retrofit, not new construction.”
Retrofitting buildings for energy-efficiency involves way more than replacing doors and windows or switching to alternative energy. In fact, Yakabosky says those are the last measures property-owners should consider.
The first step is air sealing and insulation, which employs a variety of new green building technology including polyurethane foam insulation, reflective white-roof coating and state-of-the-art rainwater collection systems.
This not only creates a demand for skilled workers but for manufacturers creating these new building materials.
“The retrofit market is an economic engine,” says Yakabosky. “We train for the green economy, there will be new jobs, the manufacturing base increases, and homeowners will have more money to spend.”