In an effort to help workers better compete during difficult economic times, US Green Building Council-New Jersey Executive Director Florence Block, recently announced the creation of a new partnership with the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development to provide free customized “green jobs” training to its members.
The customized trainings will be conducted onsite at an employer’s office or in one of the designated USGBC-NJ training facilities and will focus on the field of Green Building helping USGBC-NJ members to align themselves with the ever-changing demands on workforce skill. The trainings will also focus on Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design test preparation that will allow members to obtain LEED accreditation, enabling them to compete for the proliferation of green oriented work that is on the horizon.
“Providing this valuable education opportunity to our members is going to increase the marketability of the companies that they work for to compete effectively and acquire a greater percentage of the jobs created under the State’s Energy Master Plan,” said Block.
The two-part program focusing on LEED Training will include LEED Green Associate recommended modules taught by USGBC LEED faculty members who have been trained at USGBC Headquarters in Washington, undergone extensive auditing and have a background requirement of having key roles on multiple LEED projects.
The first part of the training will include the LEED Green Building Basics and the second part will include a variety of customized training programs for multiple disciplines also of LEED Technical Review and Exam Review.
LEED Green Associates accreditation is for professionals who want to demonstrate green building expertise in non-technical fields of practice and the Green Building Certification Institute recently created the LEED Green Associate credential, which denotes basic knowledge of green design, construction, and operations and overall building high performance.
All professions have recognized the value of LEED accreditation in the work place.
“An obvious but additional, invaluable benefit of offering the training is that the State’s business population would also become infused with a culture practicing and promoting energy and environmental sustainability while positively impacting our economy,” said Block who also mentioned that even before its partnering with LWD, USGBC-NJ has been providing premier quality educational programs on green design, construction, and operations for professionals from all sectors of New Jersey’s building industry.
