Clean Energy Classrooms - The Canadian Guide to Sustainable Energy Training News
Clean Energy Training Portal Launches
July 02, 2008
When Christina James decided what type of schooling she wanted to pursue, she knew it was to help protect the environment and build a more sustainable society. But finding practical programs in this area was difficult. Fortunately, speaking with an instructor at Northern Lights College, in Dawson Creek BC, she found out about that school’s upcoming Energy House development, which offers technical courses in different forms or renewable energy. Similarly, In Ontario, David Price wasn’t sure how to build upon his engineering background, until uncovering the Energy Systems Technologies program at St Lawrence College. It is the first advanced diploma program for renewable energy and energy efficiency in Canada. “Finding this program was almost by chance, but I’m glad I now have the training to participate in the clean energy industry, which is really hot,” says Price.
Now, the search for Canada’s renewable energy schooling has just become much easier. Clean Energy Classrooms is a project of the BC Sustainable Energy Association (BCSEA), managed by Renewable Recruits, a green energy promotions and recruiting firm. It is a two part directory to all of the country’s currently available training and education options in renewable energy. It includes an online portal, cleanenergyclassrooms.ca, featuring post-secondary, industry, First Nations, and non-profit-based training options. The project’s second phase is a print edition that compliments the website, by Hemlock Printers, a company that has won awards for its leadership in sustainability practices. Due for release in October 2008, it will be distributed at no cost to secondary schools and other key locations.
Randyn Seibold, who runs Renewable Recruits, felt the project was an important early step in the drive to build a human resource base for this emerging sector. “Clean energy programs now exist from Vancouver Island to Prince Edward Island, and this online portal and subsequent print edition should help ensure that clean energy vocations as a whole will be on students’ radars when making education decisions,” says Seibold.
The objective of the project clicked with the BC’s Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Petroleum Resources, which has a number of goals in its BC Energy Plan related to sustainable energy and training, and it provided seed money to kick-start the project. Schools, industry groups, and non-profit organizations are participating in Clean Energy Classrooms through sponsorship and by helping with promotions. Eric Smiley is the instructor of Vancouver Island University’s new Green Building and Renewable Energy Technician program. “The Clean Energy Classrooms project provides a way for our department to leverage scarce marketing resources to reach the audience that would be most interested in our program,” says Smiley. Craig Dunn, spokesperson with the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association, is equally supportive. “This project is a way to become known to students and skilled workers seeking a future in renewable energy,” says Dunn. “Also, the opportunity to form relationships with college-level training providers is of value to CanGEA.”
Most people are now aware of the inspiring growth that industries like solar and wind power have experienced around the world over the past five years. This dynamic level of success can now be found in Canada as well, with the Canadian Wind Energy Association stating that 2007 was its second best year, behind 2006, adding 386 megawatts of new capacity, for a total of 1,846 megawatts across the country. Solar energy also saw major gains, largely due to Ontario’s Standard Offer Program’s high incentives for photovoltaic electricity. And according to the Canadian Geo-exchange Coalition, ground-source thermal energy for residential and commercial properties has over the past three years grown at a rate of 40%.
The need for qualified people is being felt by many industries, and in an emerging field like renewable energy, this factor can be even harder to deal with. Currently, employers are already reporting challenges in filling their vacancies. However, if renewable energy continues to establish itself as the preferred power source in a world fighting both climate change and high oil and gas prices, personnel pressures will likely become more serious.
In October of 2007, the first discussions about helping people find and enroll in Canadian clean energy training programs were held at the office of the BC Sustainable Energy Association. BCSEA President Guy Dauncey says, “We truly hope this training resource will help our country’s renewable energy sectors remain competitive as demand for emissions-free energy increases.”
The Clean Energy Classrooms resource guide is meant to provide comprehensive information to prospective students, help schools ensure strong enrollment for their renewable energy and green building programs, and, ultimately, increase the overall number of trained people entering the Canadian clean energy industries. “The objective is to present a full scope of options, to show that Canadian renewable energy and energy efficiency industries are high-value choices for education and careers,” says Seibold. He adds, “It also makes it a lot easier to actually find the available training.”
