V. Barrier: Good help is hard to find

Ask managers at utilities, governments and private energy services companies for a list of the biggest obstacles they face in delivering more energy efficiency to the region and they all include the lack of a qualified workforce.

While the federal government is putting unprecedented amounts of money into efficiency projects and the popular media is touting the benefits of efficiency as never before, the efficiency workforce is having a hard time keeping up. Portland-based PECI, which delivers energy efficiency programs for a number of utilities, found itself with more than two-dozen unfilled positions at a time when Oregon’s unemployment rate was second highest in the nation.

Creating an educational system to train energy efficiency workers is made more difficult because the organizations in the best position to address the need often don’t coordinate. They include utilities, high schools, two- and four-year colleges, organized labor, state workforce coordinating boards, community-based and non-profit organizations, and private training programs.

Although not unique to “green jobs,” breakdowns in workforce training at the high-school level also contribute to the problem of not enough qualified workers: too many students lack work-ready fundamentals like basic math, communication and interpersonal skills and workplace discipline. Union officials say trainees often wash out of apprentice programs simply because they don’t show up when required.

Another aspect to the problem is that rural areas often don’t have access to energy professionals or energy equipment vendors and, given the demands they already have, it’s not economical for those in the urban areas to visit the smaller and more distant communities.

The Solution: A bigger, better efficiency workforce

Create an energy efficiency industry. A great place to start solving this problem, according to one respected senior utility manager, is to treat energy efficiency as an industry just like information technology or health care, with a concentrated field of study and rational paths for career advancement.

The region is moving in that direction with commitments to define energy efficiency jobs, distinguishing them from less well-defined “green economy” jobs, and establishing classifications and skill standards. The Washington Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development, for example, issued a report to the governor and legislature in early 2009 that includes specific steps for training and energy-efficiency workforce. Although the current recession has slowed funding, ultimately this and similar initiatives throughout the region are expected to lead to the development of training programs and curricula that can be taught at technical, two- and four-year colleges.

Specific areas where focused energy efficiency training is needed include mechanical engineering; building commissioning; heating, cooling and ventilation specialists; program management; and skilled labor positions in construction, metalworking and pipefitting.

Organized labor in Washington and Oregon is engaged in energy workforce training programs at secondary and post-secondary levels through the Apollo Alliance, a coalition of labor, business and public interest organizations working for good jobs and a clean and secure energy future.

Provide more training and education. Students of the Northwest Energy Education Institute, part of Oregon’s Lane County Community College, earn two-year degrees in Energy Management, learning the skills necessary to evaluate and recommend energy solutions that result in greater energy efficiency and cost savings. To meet the growing demand, the Institute has expanded enrollment from 30 to 90 students in three years, and, starting in fall 2009, will offer a new certification program for Resource Conservation Managers. The Institute also provides custom learning opportunities for practicing professionals throughout the Northwest.

The Center for Excellence in Energy Technology at Washington’s Centralia College has taken on the role of coordinating higher education’s response to the efficiency workforce shortage. It is assessing the adequacy of existing programs in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana and will come up with recommendations for creating and expanding a coordinated system of energy efficiency education.

The Seattle-based Moontown Foundation is one creative approach to tackling the challenge of unprepared youth. Moontown recruits young people from underserved communities and links adult basic education with energy efficiency job training skills that can help meet the demand for qualified home energy workers.