SEED Webinar

Hybrid Vehicle Industry & Workforce Development

More info, coming soon.

11/30/11, 1PM EDT

Find a comprehensive list of events and announcements on theseedcenter.org 

Conferences

SEED on the Road,  

Meet AACC's SEED team:

Pittsburg, Pa.

10/9-12/11

*SEED Presentation 10/12  

with Delta College,  

Houston Community College, 

& Monroe Community College

Association of Community College Trustees 

Dallas, Tx.

10/12-15/11

*SEED Presentation 10/14 with College of Lake County and Lane Community College

Joint Conference:

Growing the Workforce for a New American Economy

St. Louis, Mo. 

10/22-25/11 

*SEED Presentation 10/24 with Lincoln Land and Santa Fe Community Colleges

Association of Career and Technical Education

St. Louis, Mo.

11/17-19/11

*SEED Presentation 11/18 with St. Louis Community College

Other Conferences & Events:

North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) 40th Annual Conference

Raleigh-Durham, Nc.

10/12-15/11

Green California Community College Summit & Exposition

Pasadena, Ca.
10/17-18/11

ACI Home Energy Trainer Conference

Charlotte, NC

11/1-2/11

2011 ACUPCC Fall Regional Collaborative Symposium

Hosted by SEED member, Bunker Hill Community College
Boston, Ma.

11/3-4/11

Webinars:

Featured: 

IREC: The New Standard for Energy-Related Certificate Programs

DOE Energy Webinar Series 

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) webinar series about the Guidelines for Quality Work-Standard Work Specifications for Multifamily Homes currently under development.  

10/17/11, 2PM EDT

10/20/11, 2:00 PM EDT

Monthly Community College Sustainability Webinar

Instant Benchmarking, Part II

11/19/11, 1PM EDT

Issue 9, October 12, 2011  

SEED Webinar, Quality Workforce Development Programs for Real EE Jobs

Follow-up resources for colleges

Last month, AACC's SEED initiative hosted an important webinar, Building Quality Workforce Development Programs for Real Energy Efficiency Jobs (access webinar recording and slides). Included in our discussion were the new energy efficiency standards being developed by the U.S. Department of Energy.  Here are key resources mentioned during that webinar, all of which are free for colleges:

• IREC webinar highlighting more details about their energy-efficiency standards (formed with ANSI) 10/24/11

• WxTV, a national weatherization training show that uses a blend of expert advice, how-to techniques, innovation, and reality TV to create entertainment-based learning.

• Weatherization standardized curriculum from the Weatherization Assistance Program Technical Assistance Center (WAPTEC)

From the Department of Energy:

• Building America Program Publication and Product Library  
• The National Training & Education Resource (NTER), an open source platform of instructional tools for instructors. Explore it in its early stages.
• Explanation of the four new voluntary certifications in development.
• Job Task Analyses for these four certifications.

Thank you to webinar speaker Roger Ebbage, director of the Northwest Energy Education Institute at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon.  To learn more about Lane Community College's program and engage with Roger, please visit NEEI.

Colleges in Action, New SEED Success Story

In 2010, the Mobilize Northern Maine partnership launched a comprehensive planning process, called Mobilize Northern Maine, with SEED Member, Northern Maine Community College (NMCC) (Me.) at the center. Confronted with decreased employment opportunities, the loss of family farms, and the closure of the region's largest employer, Loring Air Force Base, higher education and business partners in a rural region in Maine understand that active collaboration is the only way to survive. Their partnership is building an economy anchored in alternative energy with a workforce prepared for technological shifts.  Read more. 

Connecticut Green Economy Workforce Practices to Ensure Skilled STEM Workers

STEM education at community colleges will be critical as our nation transitions to a clean, green economy and works to build a sustainable future.  SEED is proud to support community colleges in building the best-in-class green workforce development programs to ensure that students have the skills, competencies, and credentials needed by employers to build a quality STEM workforce.

AACC was pleased to present SEED at the STEMTech Conference in Indianapolis, In. earlier this month. There, we explored STEM in Connecticut, where two USDOL grant-funded Initiatives have worked together to create new STEM-based credit certificates in sustainability and alternative and renewable energy fields.  Read more from Rochelle Jewell, director of grant initiatives at Connecticut Community Colleges, as she shares STEM successes in her state.

SEED Colleges Capture Federal Funds 

TAACCCT Grants
Obama Administration Jobs & Innovation Accelerator Challenge

Community colleges nationwide were abuzz last month with major federal funding announcements.  We are proud to share that SEED member colleges have captured federal funds through the Trade Assistance Adjustment Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grants program and the Obama Administration Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge.

While the programs explored more than green workforce development, we highlight these clean energy and green collar workforce development winners that are also SEED members. These awards reinforce and enable our efforts to become change agents in regional efforts to develop a green and sustainable economy.  For an emerging industry like this-where job growth potential is significant but great uncertainty surrounds market conditions-colleges can be doing a lot now to prepare for promising future opportunities.

SEED looks forward to supporting these colleges as they develop and disseminate their new tools and sharing their stories so all colleges can learn from their efforts.

TAACCCT Grants

32 community colleges and consortia will receive grants totaling $500 million through the Trade Assistance Adjustment Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grants program. SEED members include:   

• Delaware Technical and Community College  
• College of Lake County, Il., consortium leader
• Alpena Community College, Mi.

$37M Obama Administration Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge

This multi-agency competition to support the advancement of high-growth, regional industry clusters includes key roles for community colleges as both lead organizations and partners. Green economy winners are: 

• GreenME (Me.) 
• New York Renewable Energy Cluster
• Portland Regional Clean Tech Advance Initiative (CTA) (Or.) 
• San Diego-Imperial Valley Renewable Energy Generation Training and Demonstration Center (Ca.) 

AACC's SEED Initiative to Launch 2 New Industry Sectors

Next month SEED will launch two new industry sectors in the Resource Center:

Food and Horticulture will include resources on sustainable and organic methods, including sustainable agriculture, landscaping, culinary arts, resource management, agroforestry, permaculture, and water resources.

Transportation and Fuel will include resources on electric and hybrid automobiles, transportation alternatives, natural gas and other renewable fuel sources including ethanol, biodiesel, algae, and methane.

SEED looks forward to bringing you this curated collection of information on these two important and growing energy and environmental sectors. If you may have resources to contribute (either your own college's material or other information you've found to be helpful in putting together programs) please submit them to Shawn M. Strange.

SEED in ACUPCC Implementer, Growing Green Jobs

SEED featured in the October ACUPCC Implementer, with an article by AACC's Sustainability Initiatives Director, Todd Cohen, "Creating an Environment for Growing Green Jobs".

"Engaging with the community to build sustainable and thriving regional economies is an important pursuit for higher education. For community colleges, in particular, this quest is also a fundamental part of what they are and who they serve...."

Free technical assistance from Smart Growth America (EPA), 

Through a grant from the U.S. EPA's Office of Sustainable Communities' Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program, Smart Growth America offers free technical assistance to help communities implement smart growth strategies to build stronger economies while protecting human health and the environment.

Deadline 10/26

New Campus Solar PV Database from AASHE 

The American Association of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) has debuted a new Campus Photovoltaic Installations Database.  Containing hundreds of success stories, users can sort by size, type, and location to help drive further solar development on campuses.   

Are You America's Next Eco-Star?

Students, faculty, and administrators submit nominations about your commitment to clean energy and energy efficiency on campus.  Deadline 10/28/11