Oregon’s Clean Energy Workforce Training Programs (cont’d) Residential Inspector Certification At its core, Technical School Outreach is a student and teacher development program, offering a combination of classroom and field learning experiences. The program is structured to introduce participants to the theories and best practices for energy efficient, climate-specific residential design and construction. The initiative provides schools with an opportunity to incorporate cutting edge curriculum and project-based learning experiences into existing technical programs. Customized educational modules are administered onsite by industry professionals and technical experts. Modules target areas such as air sealing, insulation, mechanical ventilation, heating and cooling, solar technologies and building diagnostics, as well as emerging technologies such as tankless water heaters and radiant floor heating. Students receive hands-on training in areas such as effective air sealing techniques, framing alternatives, proper installation of mechanical systems, insulation material alternatives, blower door diagnostic testing and renewable energy applications. Apprenticeship, Unions and the Clean Energy Industry Union apprenticeship programs are well-established, privately-funded programs of long standing. These programs respond directly to the stated needs of employers, systematically and thoroughly training workers to match the number of job openings predicted by those employers. As registered apprenticeship programs overseen by the State of Oregon, they are monitored closely, their admissions and graduation records are available for public scrutiny, and they pay special attention to the recruitment and retention of women and minorities to their programs. Wind Technicians alligning the bolt fit on wind turbine rotor assembly Photo credit: John Demoss
Registered apprenticeship is a system that allows workers to earn while they learn – apprentices work in the industry while taking classes at night, or for a specified number of weeks out of each year. Their wage rates are tied to journey-level wages, typically starting at 50% of a full-fledged journey level rate and increasing steadily as the apprentice accumulates work and classroom hours.
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