NJATC's New "Green Jobs Curriculum" Ready To Go!
The 300+ NECA-IBEW training facilities across the country are already producing first-rate electrical workers who can supply the skilled labor needed on green building projects. But the growing demand for alternative energy and sustainable construction, boosted by the $43 billion starting to flow from the stimulus package for such projects, will require tens of thousands additional qualified electrical workers — and a more comprehensive and coordinated approach to training them.
The good news: Our National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee has unveiled its Green Jobs Curriculum. In addition to producing new textbooks and other learning materials for use at NECA-IBEW training facilities, the NJATC has collected the more than 70 green training lessons that are already being taught and updated them into a single curriculum which is now ready for implementation at the local level.
The comprehensive program, which covers everything from automated building operations to solar photovoltaics, will be woven into the fabric of current IBEW apprenticeship training. However, the primary effort focuses on “retooling existing workers with the necessary knowledge and skills involved in green technologies,” according to NJATC Executive Director Mike Callalan.
While the traditional skills of electrical workers will continue to be utilized with little or no change, the demands of the emerging energy economy will require more overlap among the various branches of the electrical industry and more integration of technologies. An NJATC special bulletin sent to JATC directors and instructors earlier this month explains it this way:
“Electrical construction projects within the green jobs field will include Photovoltaics, Fuel Cells, BioMass, and Wind Turbines as examples of electrical generation technologies working in parallel with utility scale power generation. This creation of a variant subset of the “smart grid” technologies requires combining the skills of Outside Lineman, Inside Wireman, and Telecommunications workers. Even more important will be the implementation and integration of technologies to improve efficiency of electrically powered systems, through the use of Building Automation Technologies, and to develop an economic solution directed by governmental policies. The creation of an economically friendly environment will be justified by the creation of an advantageous environment for business to create and propel the green technologies revolution.”
The emphasis on integrating technologies is evidenced by the list of textbooks to be used in the Green Jobs Curriculum. It includes new or recently updated textbooks on the following subjects:
- Green Building Fundamentals
- Building Automation: Control Devices and Applications
- Photovoltaics
- Programmable Logic Controllers
- Terminations and Splices
- Power Quality Analysis
- Cables and Wiring
If you would like to learn about the implementation of the NJATC Green Jobs Curriculum in your area, please contact your local JATC or NECA chapter office.
Why Join NECA?
Electrical contractors count on NECA to deliver the resources that help them make better business decisions, provide excellent customer service, and take advantage of innovative technology. NECA’s national office and local chapters advance the electrical construction industry through advocacy, education, research, and standards development.