The 2012 CEWEC Conference in Albany is a Wrap!
“We’ve moved past the point when ‘green jobs’ was just a marketing term, a sound bite,” said Jane Weissman, executive director of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) in opening the 5th National Clean Energy Workforce Education Conference here. “The way forward is to embed green knowledge and green skills into every job and every education program – to train a quality workforce that meets industry needs.”
These were threads that ran throughout the conference, where hundreds of the nation’s innovators in clean energy workforce development and education came together to share insights and best practices. The conference’s major sponsor was the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
Over three days, more than 60 presenters shared the latest instructional strategies and practices in clean energy education. They looked at new and thought-provoking next generation technologies and workforce needs. They shared insight into what’s working and what’s not, gaps to close, and directions to take.
Since 2004, IREC has worked nationally with partners in education, industry, labor and government to address real market needs in renewable energy and energy efficiency – to create training and education programs for the long-term – programs that prepare workers with a high-quality skills set with marketable value. A major initiative is underway to credential training programs and instructors so clean energy training is relevant and standardized to the highest quality bar.
Presentations from the conference will be available after Thanksgiving. For conference details, see the agendas below.
November 13th: pre-conference workshops
November 14-15: full conference sessions