Toward Understanding Roles for Education and Training in Improving Green Jobs Skills Development

In the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry, green building practices are migrating from cutting-edge to becoming the “new normal.” The transition from conventional practices to green practices in homebuilding requires firms to acquire new skills and knowledge to meet market demand. While many of the skills required to offer ‘green’ building services are similar to existing skill sets in the AEC industry, the additional complexity causes a significant degree of uncertainty among homebuilding industry professionals AND educational stakeholders. As part of a U.S. Department of Labor green jobs training grant targeted toward regional energy-efficiency building services, the authors developed a research model for better understanding the needs of green building training in Southwest Virginia. The research team chose to assess green jobs through the experiences of those on the front line of these practices, employers and employees of firms in the homebuilding industry, including those in the offering of green services. The information acquired through this process illuminates several issues with existing education and training programs that influence green building practices, and the impact of these issues on providing effective green skills training to workers in the construction industry. The goal of an improved training system for green building occupations is to create an educational system that could substantially mitigate many of these perceived risks.