You've seen the writing on the wall, and you're ready to make the BIG change. Not just driving less and conserving more, but to "work on-the-job" of reducing the climatic, ecological and social impacts of our modern life on Earth. We spend approximately one third of our waking lives at work, so it makes sense to go get one of the many "green-collar" jobs that are now appearing.
The renewable energy and energy efficiency sector is hiring. Though it relies heavily on standard training and skills, such as electrical engineering or plumbing, a growing number of vocational programs focusing on clean energy technologies and practices are emerging. However, being new, these education options are not always highly visible, and rely in part on word-of-mouth to reach the ears of students and workers.
In Canada, the search for renewable energy schooling just became much easier.
Clean Energy Classrooms is a national project of the BC Sustainable Energy Association (BCSEA), a non-profit organization committed to fostering energy solutions in the province of British Columbia, and Renewable Recruits, a BC sustainable energy staffing firm.
The objective of the project appealed to BC's Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Petroleum Resources, which provided seed money to kick-start the project. It includes a number of goals in its BC Energy Plan related to sustainable energy development and related training.
Chris Frye is the Ministry's energy efficiency and education coordinator. "We are committed to increasing the number of trained and qualified trades people and professionals in the energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors in BC," says Frye. "Clean Energy Classrooms provides an excellent hub for training programs in BC and across the country."
Schools, companies, and non-profit organizations are also 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 audiences that would be most interested in our program," says Smiley.
In Ontario, University of Waterloo Professor Jatin Nathwani is incredibly busy with the launch of WISE, Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy. "At the Institute we are involved in a number of research activities to advance the goals of a sustainable energy future," says Professor Nathwani, who heads up the Institute. "One example is the development of a "micro-grid" based on a combination of renewable resources such as wind and or solar, together with a storage solution, to meet the needs of remote communities."
Ontario schools are showing big leadership in this area, and currently 11 different institutions offer a range of credit options, from certificates to Masters degrees. One of the first was St Lawrence College.
"The graduates from our Energy Systems Engineering Technology program all have jobs in the sustainable energy industry," says Don Young, Dean of Technology at St Lawrence College in Kingston. "We are currently finalizing our plans for delivery of our Wind Turbine Technician program for the Fall of 2009."
"We saw a partnership with Clean Energy Classrooms as a great opportunity to support an initiative that is a fit with the mandate of our Energy Systems Engineering program," said Kelly Wiley, Marketing Manager, St. Lawrence College. "In addition there is an opportunity to attract future students to our program."
Craig Dunn, spokesperson with the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association, is equally supportive. "Being profiled is a way for our industry 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."
The inspiring growth in the solar and wind power sectors around the world over the past five years can now be found in Canada. Geothermal energy is also surging, at least in the U.S. According to the Canadian Wind Energy Association, 2007 was its second best year after 2006, adding 386 megawatts of new capacity, for a total of 1,846 megawatts across the country. 2008 is expected to best them both. 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 grown by 40% over the past three years.
The Delphi Group, a Canadian business and sustainability consulting firm, released a study in 2007 that examined the potential human resource needs of the renewable energy sector. At current rates of annual growth, the various industries combined would potentially require approximately 22,000 new workers by 2012.
When it comes to making a big shift to more sustainable energy forms and greener economies, the skilled labour pool may end up being the weak link in the chain, unless many individuals now make the decision to join the sector. There may be no better time to begin making the move to a career in clean energy.
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