Supporting community colleges in educating for and building a green economy
AACC: American Association of Community Colleges
About SEEDMembershipResourcesSharing CommunityColleges in ActionSupportNews & Events

Connect

Sign-in/Register
Resource Center

Additional Partner Resources

Educational resources from SEED Center partners and corporate sponsors
Home­Resources ­ Resource Center

Resource Center

Instructions

The Resource Center is a curated collection of information organized around 7 green economy “Sectors” and 7 “Topics.” In time, more Sectors will be added. Topics represent those areas in which educators and workforce development professionals continue to seek direction.

You can search by sector or by topic. Or across all sectors and/or all topics.

You can also perform a keyword search of all resources on the top right of this page.

Overview

Solar

The solar industry is expected to show steady growth over the coming decade largely due to rising energy prices, advances in technology through public/private partnerships and investments, and continued enactment of federal and state policies and financial incentives. more >>

Wind

Wind power is considered a leading source of new electricity generation in the United States, with the potential of providing 20% of the nation’s energy needs by 2030. more >>

Green Building

The green building market has expanded five fold over the last three years to a $48 billion national market—and is projected to triple in the next five years. more >>

Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is considered the foundation of a vibrant and sustainable green economy, and one of the most cost effective ways to lower energy consumption, reduce operating costs, and mitigate carbon emissions. more >>

Sustainability Education

Sustainability education refers generally to learning experiences that enable students to develop the knowledge, behaviors and skills to help create healthier ecosystems, social systems, and economies. For the purposes of the SEED Center, this includes resources to help build non-credit continuing education for the incumbent workforce and integrating sustainability curriculum into existing credit programs. more >>

Sustainable Ag., Food & Land

The Sustainable Ag., Food & Land sector covers the areas of organic farming, horticulture, culinary art, and landscaping. This sector includes organizations and resources that integrate environmental, social and economic factors into land use, food preparation, and land specific practices in an attempt to create a more sustainable future. more >>

General Clean Tech

The General Clean Tech sector is a space for resources that encompass multiple ‘green’ sectors. Many are applicable to the broader clean economy and sustainability-related technology and will serve the general clean tech community. Resources also provide valuable information on sectors that are experiencing substantive development in the sustainability realm, like manufacturing and smart grid. more >>

Transportation and Fuels

The Transportation & Fuels sector covers the area of electric and hybrid vehicle development and maintenance, other forms of alternative and sustainable transportation, natural gas, fuel cells, battery storage, and renewable fuels sources including ethanol, biodiesel, algae, and methane. more >>

Certifications and Industry Credentials

Certainly, one of the biggest challenges facing green educators is the rapid and mostly uncoordinated emergence of green certifications and credentials. more >>
 

Curricular Materials

These resources and materials have been vetted by industry and education experts, and while not in the form of specific educator tools, will assist in creating quality curricula for your classroom. more >>

You will find more specific educator tools (e.g. syllabi, lab manuals, lesson plans, special classroom projects, equipment lists, etc.) submitted by SEED member colleges in our Curricular Materials Sharing Portal.

Employment Industry Projections

While job training providers have been quite active in past years working with local industry to define the emerging green jobs market and potential job growth areas, most still struggle to forecast accurately regional occupational demand. The U.S. Department of Labor has made recent strides toward classifying green occupations and competencies which will help communities define and track green jobs (and colleges to design appropriate education and training programs). Given the uncertain renewable energy and efficiency industry outlook, and rapidly changing technologies, access to the most up-to-date industry studies and employment projections will be critical. more >>

Innovative Practices & Partnerships

The job creation potential of the green economy has led to some unique job training and economic development partnerships and collaborations. more >>

Professional Development Resources

This section includes promising facilitated learning opportunities, including “train the trainer” programs, standing conferences, and informal learning opportunities situated in practice for faculty and staff seeking to further their knowledge of industry trends and requirements. more >>

Policy & Funding Sources

Included you will find links and descriptions of agencies and organizations that typically fund sustainability and green job training initiatives as well as those that provide important information on national legislation and policies relevant to the clean energy sector. CHECK BACK AS MORE ARE ADDED. This section also highlights resources that provide guidance on how to supply input into program and grant design for certain agency solicitations. more >>

Skill sets, Competencies & Career Pathways

This section includes lists and assessments of skill sets and competencies tied to the green economy – across the broad industry as well as within specific sectors. It also includes some critical resources that colleges can use to align programs and facilitate student transitions. Included are green energy competency models and newly-developed career pathways that allow movement across educational and training programs. more >>

Sector: Topic:

Featured Resources

Financing the Next Generation of Solar Workers: An Exploration of Workforce Training Program Sustainability in the Context of Reduced Public Funding
Recognizing that much of the public funding for solar training programs has already expired - despite a profusion of studies pointing to increased worker demand - The Solar Foundation, along with SolarTech and the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP), collaborated on this paper to introduce a number of possible funding mechanisms designed to attract both public and private capital and efficiently allocate funds to solar workforce programs with the greatest need. This paper supplements the broader efforts of the SolarTech Workforce Innovations Collaborative (SWIC), which was a market-driven pilot program that took a systems approach to source, train, and place the right people in the right jobs at the right time.
AASHE: Campus Solar Photovoltaic Installations Database
A new database of hundreds of campus solar photovoltaic installations designed for higher education solar advocates to browse success stories at campuses of a similar type, size and location.
Best Practices Documents for Solar Instructor Training
The Best Practices documents, a compendium of national curriculum models of solar training, education and workforce development curriculum from The Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Inc. (IREC), are available to help instructors enhance the quality of their existing solar education and training programs.
Guide on How To Engage Employers
This guide is designed to help think about employer engagement as part of implementing workforce development strategies – and bringing current practices up to the next level.For each principle we have included several strategies from peer ARRA grantees who have implemented the principles in their own communities. Stories from grantees in the field are provided as well as resources on the Communities of Practice and beyond.
Higher Education: Leading the Nation to a Safe & Secure Energy Future
A white paper from ACUPCC and Second Nature that explores how the federal government can develop and enhance energy efficiency and renewable energy incentives for colleges and universities.
NABCEP: Photovoltaic Installer Resource Guide
This publication was written for NABCEP by industry leading subject matter experts and teachers, Bill Brooks and Jim Dunlop. It follows the NABCEP Solar Heating Job Task Analysis and is a useful tool for candidates preparing for both the NABCEP PV Entry Level and the NABCEP PV Installer Certification exams. It is also intended for use as an instructional reference for educators.
NABCEP: Solar Heating Installer Resource Guide
This publication was written for NABCEP by industry leading subject matter experts and teachers, Vaughan Woodruff and Chuck Marken. It follows the NABCEP Solar Heating Job Task Analysis and is a useful tool for candidates preparing for both the NABCEP Solar Heating Entry Level and the NABCEP Solar Heating Installer Certification exams. It is also intended for use as an instructional reference for educators.
North Carolina Solar Center
The North Carolina Solar Center, at N.C. State University, advances a sustainable energy economy by educating, demonstrating and providing support for clean energy technologies, practices, and policies. The N.C. Solar Center serves as a resource for innovative, clean energy technologies through demonstration, technical assistance, outreach and training. It also administers the Database of Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE), a resource providing financial incentives and policies.
North American Board of Certificed Energy Practictioners (NABCEP) Task Analysis for Solar Water and Pool Heating Systems Installation Contractor
This document presents a comprehensive task analysis for contractors installing solar water and pool heating systems on buildings. For the purposes of developing training curricula, assessment mechanisms and certification criteria, specific tasks are classified as either cognitive or psychomotor skills.
North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) PV Technical Sales Job Task Analysis
This document presents an in-depth Job Task Analysis for solar electric professionals who gather site specific information and analyze customer needs and energy usage for the purpose of advising and providing customers with the most appropriate proposal for a solar photovoltaic (PV) system given their situation.
Displaying results 1-10 (of 24)
 |<  < 1 - 2 - 3  >  >| 

More Resources

Green Ways: A Jobs for the Future Initiative
The GreenWays initiative provides high-quality workforce services to employers and to workers seeking to advance their careers in the green economy.
Financing the Next Generation of Solar Workers: An Exploration of Workforce Training Program Sustainability in the Context of Reduced Public Funding
Recognizing that much of the public funding for solar training programs has already expired - despite a profusion of studies pointing to increased worker demand - The Solar Foundation, along with SolarTech and the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP), collaborated on this paper to introduce a number of possible funding mechanisms designed to attract both public and private capital and efficiently allocate funds to solar workforce programs with the greatest need. This paper supplements the broader efforts of the SolarTech Workforce Innovations Collaborative (SWIC), which was a market-driven pilot program that took a systems approach to source, train, and place the right people in the right jobs at the right time.
25% Renewables by 2025
View “25x’25”s resources page which covers both technology and policy issues that can prove helpful in the development of curricular materials and information packets. "25x'25" is a nonprofit advocating for renewable energy and a goal for America – to get 25 percent of our energy from renewable resources like wind, solar, and biofuels by the year 2025.
AASHE: Campus Solar Photovoltaic Installations Database
A new database of hundreds of campus solar photovoltaic installations designed for higher education solar advocates to browse success stories at campuses of a similar type, size and location.
Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (arpa-e)
The Advanced Research Projects Agency, out of the U.S. Department of Energy, provides information on funding and technologies focused exclusively on high risk, high payoff concepts technologies. Educators can use this to describe possible new technologies and some of the supportive funding and policy to assist students with understanding the future potentials for the industry. Arpa-e works to bridge the gap between basic energy research and development/industrial innovation.
Advanced Technological Education (ATE Central) Sustainability and Energy Educational Resources
Search this useful National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education (ATE Central) website for relevant resources in a variety of topic areas, including sustainability and energy.
Advanced Technology Environmental and Energy Center (ATEEC)
The Advanced Technology Environmental and Energy Center (ATEEC) has free materials in energy efficiency, renewable energies, and other environmental topics. In addition to curricula and instructional materials, it includes occupational analyses and workforce analyses and trends.
Best Practices Documents for Solar Instructor Training
The Best Practices documents, a compendium of national curriculum models of solar training, education and workforce development curriculum from The Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Inc. (IREC), are available to help instructors enhance the quality of their existing solar education and training programs.
BlueGreen Alliance
The BlueGreen Alliance is a national, strategic partnership between labor unions and environmental organizations dedicated to expanding the number and quality of jobs in the green economy.
Climate, Adaptation, Mitigation, E-Learning (CAMEL)
Climate, Adaptation, Mitigation, E-Learning (CAMEL) is a free, comprehensive, interdisciplinary, multi-media resource for educators to enable them to effectively teach about climate change and allowing them to create and share curricular resources. View their Intro VIdeo for more information.
Displaying results 1-10 (of 150)
 |<  < 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10  >  >| 
This resource made possible with the generous support from the Kresge Foundation