LA Trade-Technical College
400 West Washington Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 940015-4108
Ph. 213.769.7000
www.lattc.edu
Los Angeles Trade-Technical College (LATTC), located in downtown L.A., has a Weatherization and Energy Efficiency education program (WE2P) that prepares individuals for weatherization and energy auditing occupations. This is one of several green-oriented training and education pathways at LATTC. LATTC was founded in 1925 and WE2P was started in early 2009.
Program description/ Training methodology
The Weatherization and Energy Efficiency education program is a career-focused training program designed to integrate industry awareness and skill attainment, academic remediation and basic skills attainment, and supportive wrap-around services. This framework includes:
- Industry and sector-wide occupational mapping;
- Career ladder mapping for weatherization occupations and occupations in the construction sector;
- Developing competency frameworks in which skills are identified for targeted occupations and transferable skills are identified for occupations in identified career ladders and lattices;
- Curriculum that integrates and contextualizes soft skills, core academic skills, and technical skills; and
- Effective teaching principles and practices for under-prepared and disconnected populations.
The Weatherization and Energy Efficiency education program is designed to address several, larger workforce development, initiatives at the college including: utility/ energy sector development green workforce development and creating pathways out of poverty.
The college’s development of the Weatherization and Energy Efficiency education program directly stemmed from requests from utility employers participating in the LA Infrastructure and Sustainable Jobs Collaborative. Employers expressed a need for training programs that could incorporate skill and knowledge standards for weatherization and energy auditing services that, in turn, would support the implementation of weatherization programs such as the Low Income Energy Efficiency (LIEE) Program, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and U.S. Department of Energy Weatherization Assistance Program.
Partnerships and Funding
The main partner in the Weatherization and Energy Efficiency education program is the LATTC staff and faculty. The college has secured several grants and contracts to support the program. Much of the funding for the Weatherization and Energy Efficiency education program has come from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act and/or funding directly from green legislation in California. These grants and contracts are listed below:
- Bank of America Foundation
- Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
- City of Los Angeles Community Development Department
- California Public Utilities Commission Low Income Energy Efficiency Program
- California Clean Energy Workforce Training Program
- Governor’s Green Jobs Corps – in partnership with Los Angeles Community College District
- EPA Brownsfield – in partnership with Los Angeles Conservation Corp.
- Summer Youth Green Jobs Program – in partnership with Los Angeles Community College District and the Los Angeles Workforce Investment Board
- U.S. Youthbuild – in partnership with Coalition for Responsible Community Development
- U.S. Department of Labor VWIP – in partnership with U.S. Vets
Elements of Curriculum
LATTC’s Weatherization and Energy Efficiency education program offers a series of courses in weatherization, energy efficiency and energy auditing. The courses prepare individuals to be weatherization and retrofit specialists, as well as energy auditors if they take the elective HERS (Home Energy Rating System) course. The series consists of the following courses:
OSHA Safety Standards: Construction and Industry
This course provides instruction on industry safety and health rules as they apply to workers and employers within the construction industry. Topics such as fall protection, lock out, tag out procedures, PPE, excavations, etc. are covered. Participants that meet the required hourly attendance and successfully pass the final exam are eligible to receive their OSHA (30 hr) safety-training certificate.
Weatherization – Practical Energy Efficiency Techniques
This course provides expertise on various techniques that can be used to weatherize homes and other structures. The course is suitable for application by a professional home or energy inspector. Homeowners looking to improve their own homes can also benefit from the knowledge and application of the simpler techniques. Topics covered include: energy basics, sealing, insulating, window replacement/installation, environmental air, water, appliance energy efficiency, and lighting.
Weatherization – Energy Efficiency Practices (Lab)
This course provides laboratory exercises related to the “Weatherization – Practical Energy Efficiency Techniques” course (see above). Students build skills necessary for the effective application of energy techniques that can be used to weatherize homes and other structures.
Energy Auditing – Residential
This course focuses on residential energy requirements, energy loss and energy efficiency. How energy is used and lost is discussed, along with the testing techniques and approaches to measure the amount of energy lost. Students learn the components of an energy audit report.
Energy Auditor – Residential Practices (Lab)
This course provides laboratory exercises related to the “Energy Auditing – Residential” course (see above). Students perform actual energy audits of simulated structures and complete necessary forms.
Cooperative Education
This is an individually-tailored course in which a student, an instructor, and an employer develop a portfolio documenting several specific educational goals. The instruction is accomplished on-the-job with activities undertaken by the student and supervised and evaluated by the employer and instructor.
Instructors
LATTC hires its own instructors for its community college-level courses.
Target Participants & Recruitment
Classes are for any resident of greater Los Angeles. LATTC targets those who are disconnected from the mainstream economy – lacking formal education, under-prepared, and unemployed young adults (18-24 years old) and other adults in Los Angeles County. In addition, significant outreach efforts are made to formerly-incarcerated individuals. About three-quarters of the participants in the WE2P are youth, ages 20–24, from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Eligibility Requirements & Admissions
All of California’s community colleges are open access institutions that admit students without regard to test scores, grade point averages or other common admissions requirements. Anyone who is 18 years of age or older qualifies for admission. Anyone 17 years of age or younger, who has completed all the necessary supplemental admission forms, also qualifies for admission.
Length and Frequency of Training
The WE2P courses are ongoing and year-around and range from 8 to 16 weeks. It takes approximately 157 hours to complete the series of weatherization courses and an additional 70 hours to complete the energy auditing courses.
On-the Job Training or Paid Internships
On the job training and paid internships are not available at this time for all program participants. Some participants may qualify for grant-funded internship programs.
Wrap-around Support Services
LATTC’s WE2P program collaborates with community-based organizations to provide wrap- around services for eligible program participants. Partners include LA Conservation Corps, California Conservation Corps, YoWatts, LA Urban League, and the LA Probation Department. These organizations provide wrap-around services such as case management, individual counseling, transportation assistance, childcare assistance and legal advocacy.
Measures of Success and Evaluation
Completion of the program and job placement rates are used to measure the success of WE2P.
Relationship with Potential Employers
LA Trade-Technical’s primary relationships with employers are through the LA Infrastructure and Sustainable Jobs Collaborative, which focuses on understanding the demand for green-collar workers and developing suitable training and education programs. Key employment partners for the WE2P are: The Southern California Gas Company (a Sempra Energy Utility), Community Enhancement Services, Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment (PACE) – Westlake WorkSource Center, and TELACU.
Relationship with Organized Labor
Los Angeles Trade-Technical College has multiple relationships with organized labor. Local unions jointly develop and offer education and training programs including:
1. Partnering with IBEW Local 18 – LADWP (Los Angeles Department of Water and Power) Joint Training Institute; IBEW Local 11; and California Building and Construction Trades Council to develop and implement the Utilities and Construction Prep (UCP) Program;
2. Partnering with IBEW Local 18 – LADWP (Los Angeles Department of Water and Power) Joint Training Institute to conduct Electrical Craft Helper (ECH) courses both at LADWP power plant sites and at LATTC;
3. Partnering with IBEW Local 18 – LADWP (Los Angeles Department of Water and Power) Joint Training Institute to develop collaborative training programs aimed at licensure requirements, eLearning opportunities, increasing Joint Training Institute trainer capacity, and college credit for work experience; and
4. Partnering with SEIU Local 721 to develop weatherization training programs.
Green Program Evolution
LATTC began an extensive effort to “green” its existing programs and develop new green programs beginning in 2006.
Credentials
LATTC’s solar energy classes are North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) – approved and the community college is on the NABCEP provider list.
Key Relationships
The Los Angeles (LA) Infrastructure and Sustainable Jobs Collaborative was formed in July 2007 with the purpose of bringing together key public, private and community partners to plan and implement an education, training and workforce infrastructure that connects low-income, disadvantaged populations to livable wage jobs with career paths within the energy-utility industry. The Collaborative is a strategic alliance uniquely positioned to address the immediate and systemic workforce challenges facing the utilities sector. Partners of the Collaborative include: Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Southern California Gas Company (a Sempra Energy Utility), The Los Angeles Unified School District, The Center of Excellence hosted at the Los Angeles Community College District, IBEW, Local 18-LADWP Joint Training Institute, Southeast- Crenshaw WorkSource Center, IBEW Local 11, California Building and Construction Trades Council, and Water District of Southern California, to name a few.
Key Community Outreach Partners are LA Conservation Corps, California Conservation Corps, LA Urban League, Coalition for Responsible Community Development (CRCD), City of Los Angeles Workforce Investment Board, Work Source Centers, YoWATTS, and the Southeast-Crenshaw WorkSource Center.
Challenges and Lessons Learned
Lack of industry-recognized training standards and certifications.
There is no standard curriculum for ensuring that new green-collar workers are appropriately trained for strong, stable careers in the field.
Growth in training opportunities and partners.
With the interest in and funding for green jobs increasing rapidly, LA Trade-Technical has struggled to prioritize among possible funding and partnership opportunities.
Mismatch between training and job opportunities.
Funding and supportive public policies are needed to encourage employers to create green-collar jobs for LA Trade-Technical students. For instance, LA Trade-Technical students often have trouble finding paid internships. A supply of publicly or privately funded internships would help students build long- term skills.
Remaining job search hurdles.
Participants in and graduates of LA Trade-Technical’s green-collar jobs programs face challenges similar to those they might face in other jobs: a lack of access to transportation, a lack of funds to purchase requisite health insurance, and other pre-employment hurdles like background checks.
Combine focus and flexibility:
The field of green- collar jobs is changing rapidly. Potential partners and funding opportunities are changing rapidly. LATTC has learned that participants in the field should both recognize the changing landscape, while staying focused on the needs of their target population.
Contribute to policy:
LATTC has found that state and local policy initiatives are important for standardizing training and credentials, promoting job creation, and reducing barriers to employment for target populations.
Build on others’ experiences:
Many new organizations are beginning to enter the field of green-collar job training. LATTC has found that organizations should know their niche, while collaborating with existing private, public, and non- profit organizations where appropriate in order to expand their services.
Build relationships with employers:
Employer relationships are critical to enable students who are trained in emerging green technologies to find stable and long-lasting employment in the sector.
Future Plans & Goals
The WE2P will soon offer a HERS (Home Energy Rating Systems) course, which is designed for new energy auditing professionals and current home inspectors. A HERS rater is an energy expert certified by the California Energy Commission (CEC) to rate homes in California according to the Home Energy Rating System (HERS). These services include field verification and diagnostic testing to differentiate energy efficiency levels among homes tested for duct efficiency and envelope leakage for compliance with current building efficiency standards. HERS is a rating system commonly used to assess a new or existing home’s energy efficiency.
In addition, LATTC is developing a building science education program that will integrate existing construction technology courses with new courses aimed at enhancing building performance and energy efficiency.