Program Design & Delivery

Red Rocks Community College Creating Regionally Appropriate Sustainable Workforce Training Programs

In regions where green jobs have not materialized as quickly as projected, some colleges are refining workforce education programs to promote sustainable practice as a competitive advantage for students. At Red Rocks Community College (RRCC) and the Rocky Mountain Education Center, the leadership team developed a dynamic program review process to ensure that workforce education training meets the needs of industry, students, and incumbent workers. RRCC is in the process of tailoring its green career programming and workforce development training to the region’s needs. RRCC is also working to pair training for incumbent workers so that workers have solid trade skills (fundamentals) and transferable skill sets.

Joan Smith, RMEC dean and executive director, says colleges are excited about the prospects of clean energy training. But rather than go for the shiny penny, you really need to dig deep to determine your specific labor market needs. At RRCC, talks with industry partners about training needs occur weekly, not semi-annually or annually. Staff members hold weekly visits with industry and business partners to determine needs and gaps in training, and gather student feedback about their employment opportunities.

After discovering gaps in training for incumbent construction workers, RRCC encouraged students in construction technology courses and programs to view sustainable practice as a competitive edge for their businesses. Faculty teach students in renewable energy courses and programs how to provide several examples of energy-efficient strategies clients can implement in their homes instead of only selling stand-alone products. Students learn to include sustainable practice as part of a long-term client communication strategy by illustrating energy efficiency projects as a way to help clients pay for remodeling projects. According to Smith, students who have done this report that they are faring better than their competitors in the local residential construction and remodeling market.

When RRCC discovered that no one in area seemed to be marketing energy efficiency to small business owners as a business model, the college modified the curriculum to include strategies and tools students could use to show small business owners how energy efficiency (air sealing) could immediately provide a 30 to 40 percent energy savings. RRCC “created new jobs that didn’t previously exist in region by addressing this untapped market,” according to Smith. “Our students have demonstrated some extraordinary entrepreneurial spirit. Our commercial students have launched an association of energy efficiency professionals engaged in small commercial EE. The students throw work to each other and partner on contracting projects together…very cool.”

Additional Information:

Joan Smith
Dean and Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Education Center
joan.smith@rrcc.edu

- Rocky Mountain Education Center
- Red Rocks Community College
- Rocky Mountain Education Center Blog
- Videos of RRCC students performing an audit on the most famous house in Colorado, the Woody Allen Sleeper House

EVENT: Greening Your Home Improvement Business and Your Bottom Line
Rocky Mountain Education Center Workshop, October 2011

Red Rocks Community College, in conjunction with partners, the National Science Foundation, Colorado School of Mines, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Jefferson County Schools, has created a two-prong approach to creating “green” workforce:

• Green Careers
• GreenApps (Free Projects and Curriculum)