In the News

Lord Fairfax leads green grant initiative

Middleton, VA – July 3, 2010

Thanks to a substantial grant, Lord Fairfax Community College's Workforce Solutions will be offering environmentally friendly certification and training programs.

While several community colleges and technical centers, as well as James Madison University and the Virginia Manufacturers Association, are sharing in the $5 million skill-development grant from the Department of Labor, Lord Fairfax is the lead college on it, said Jeanian Clark, assistant vice president of Workforce Solutions and Continuing Education.

She said Lord Fairfax wrote the grant and included eight partners to increase the odds of getting the funds. It is the only such grant awarded in the state.

"There [were] over 2,300 national applications for this grant, and only 50 were awarded," Clark said. "It's going to be put towards dislocated and unemployed work-force training initiatives, is one area. The other area is to support employers and the existing work force in training [in] the new, more sustainable technology and energy conservation practices and models.

"In every field and every market segment, there's changing models and changing technology that have an implication on every job. Every industry is being touched some way, some how by greening."

Some of the green courses Workforce Solutions will offer this fall include Leadership in Engineering and Environment Design building certifications, sustainability and green construction certifications and weatherization and home energy auditing certification.

"It's such a huge scope, and it touches so many different industries," Clark said of the green field. "It's almost mind-boggling. The actual grant training has certifications in eight different areas. Lord Fairfax will be doing six of those areas."

Workforce Solutions is offering both credit courses and work force certifications, she said. The credit course work can apply toward an engineering degree.

Certification programs offered include Building Performance Institute analyst, BPI heating specialist and greenbuild basics.

Students training for a certification in weatherization of homes and heating systems will work with Workforce Solutions partner Homewood Retirement Centers in Strasburg, Clark said. Part of the certification involves field testing, she said, and Homewood is building green homes.

Jan Bane, executive director of Homewood, said people are looking for green homes to live in. She said the field testing will benefit both the retirement center and the students.

"They [will] test to see how well the house is built and if there's any air that seeps out," Bane said. "[Homewood houses are] 35-45 percent more efficient [than stick-built homes] when it comes to the air that's in the home."

Clark urged potential students to visit Workforce Solutions' website, www.LFCCworkforce.com.

"I would encourage them to look to see if they're eligible for scholarships," she said. "The grant did provide scholarships, not only for unemployed workers, but for individuals in the field who want to increase their green practices and their knowledge of green technologies."