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In this issue | December 2014

Tim Wilhelm, Kankakee Community College (KCC), talks solar to  Pembroke JHS students. Read more about KCC's impact on renewable energy training in Central Illinois below.

 





FEATURE COLUMN

by Laure-Jeanne Davignon, IREC Credentialing Program Director

LJ

Buyer be Aware: IREC Credential Holders Provide Better Value to Graduates

 

 

According to the College Board's report, Trends in College Pricing, average published tuition and fee prices increased up to 3.7 percent in 2014, depending on sector. This increase is higher than the 2.0 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index during the same time period, and while lower than average annual increases in the past five years, continues a concerning trend that has been highlighted in the educational and other media for years now.

 

Even more concerning, a college degree is no longer a one-way ticket to the proverbial American dream, and increasingly college graduates are leaving the ivory tower with skills incompatible with those needed by employers to fill the more than 4.6 million open jobs in the U.S. (Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business, 2014). 

 

IREC Accredited Training Providers buck this trend by providing training and education that is aligned with employer needs, so graduates are assured they are gaining knowledge and skills that are valued in the marketplace. 

 

IREC's standards for clean energy training providers ensure this a number of ways:

 

Alignment with real jobs - IREC Accredited Training Providers offer curricula aligned with industry-vetted job task analysis, assuring that program content is consistent with the knowledge and skills industry says are needed.

 

Linkage with industry - from curriculum development through job placement, significant, long-term relationships with industry are a hallmark of an IREC Accredited Program.

 

Stakeholder engagement - the IREC standards call for stakeholder engagement and input in every phase of program development, from the decision about what clean energy content to offer, right through program evaluation, and continuously improving and refining program content and delivery.

 

Valid assessments - assessment of student learning is a key training program success indicator. When it comes down to it, what assurance do you have that students have attained the learning objectives for the program, and can safely and successfully perform on the job? It is only valid, criterion-referenced written and hands-on testing that can measure learning and competency, both of which are key focuses in IREC training provider standards. Together, they help demonstrate that knowledge has in fact been transferred to students.

 

In addition to helping the public identify clean energy training aligned with industry jobs, IREC is increasingly building more value and resources into our program for credential holders. Last month, we shared with you some initiatives we've deployed specifically to support IREC Certified Instructors and Master Trainers. 

 

This month, we are pleased to announce a new staff position at IREC, established to help us focus on bringing service and support of our applicants and credential holders to the next level.

 

Anna Sullivan was recently appointed IREC Credentialing Services Manager to assist applicants and credential holders through the processes of applying for and maintaining IREC credentials. She can help clarify program requirements and processes, offer guidance on the types of documentation you may need to provide to meet specific areas of the standard, and point to resources that can be helpful in completing an application or annual report.

 

Anna comes to IREC with rich experience at the national level in training, nonprofit management and energy efficiency. Many of you have already heard from Anna and can expect her hands-on support and ideas to improve your experience with the IREC Credential. We remain open to your ideas and input as we constantly evolve to better support you.

 

Warm holiday greetings to you and yours, and please stay in touch.

 

 

 

EVENTS
2015

 

Visit IREC's online calendar for more events.
Behold the Future: Building the Educational Pipeline for the Solar Workforce in Central Illinois
Kankakee County, IL, population of 112,000 and home of Kankakee Community College (KCC), is Tim Wilhelm country. A physics major from Kent State, Wilhelm's past 20 years at KCC include as adjunct professor, student and graduate, and since 2006, the impresario of its Electrical Technology Program (ETP) focused on building a highly-qualified, well-trained clean energy workforce in Central Illinois.

A small, rural community college some 66 miles southwest of Chicago, KCC's ETP is raising community awareness and building the pipeline for a clean energy economy by promoting quality educational standards for a clean energy workforce writ large. 
More
IREC Welcomes Anna Sullivan to its Credentialing Team
The Interstate Renewable Energy Council announces the expansion of the IREC Credentialing Program with a recent addition to its team. Anna Sullivan joins IREC as credentialing services manager, a new position designed to enhance individualized service and support to the growing number of applicants and IREC credential holders. More

Two training organizations and two individual instructors in the clean energy industry have recently been awarded the prestigious IREC Credential.

 

"IREC applauds these new credential holders for their commitment to high quality training and continuous improvement," said Laure-Jeanne Davignon, director of IREC's Credentialing Program. "Their successful pursuit of the IREC credential puts them in the ranks of the most outstanding training providers who lead our growing clean energy industry." More

IREC recently released the first in a series of quick-tips credentialing videos. The first video, a general overview of IREC's Credentialing Management System (CMS), walks you through the most important features of the CMS and how they relate to the online credentialing process.

 

The short, instructional videos on a variety of subjects will help candidates and credential holders when applying for and managing their credentials.
 

Coming soon: quick-tips videos on annual maintenance, online application process, communications, online payments and more. View the CMS overview video now. P.S. Bookmark it! 

Looking for IREC Credential Holders Just Got Easier

Enhancements to IREC's credential holder public registry now make it easier for potential students, clients and business partners to find you and view information about your credentials.

 

Click on a pin to see all credential holders in a location or region. Click 'see details' for more information about that credential holder. Website links that appear in the pop-up information box are taken directly from your personal information page in IREC's Credentialing Management System. Log into the CMS if you need to update or populate the website field (websites must be populated with http://). Make it easier to be found!  


If you are an IREC Certified Master Trainer or Instructor, you received an email from us last month with a new program mark to visually represent your hard-earned credential, and highlight the excellence that comes from working with professionals who've made the effort to gain third-party recognition for clean energy instruction.

Missed our email? Need the mark in another format? Questions about the Mark Use Policy (pg. 41 in the Candidate Handbook)? Click [email protected]or call us (518) 621-7379.


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The IREC Credentialing Program lays the foundation for a competent workforce for the clean energy economy. Using robust standards and a detailed process of application and assessment, IREC drives quality workforce training and increased consumer confidence in the industry.  
 
About IREC
The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) is a non-profit organization that believes clean energy is critical to achieving a sustainable and economically strong future. To pave this clean energy path, IREC works to expand consumer access to clean energy; generates information and objective analysis grounded in best practices and standards; and leads programs to build a quality clean energy workforce, including a unique credentialing program for renewable energy and energy efficiency training providers and instructors. Since 1982, IREC's programs and policies have benefitted energy consumers, policymakers, utilities and the clean energy industry. As of July 2013, IREC is an accredited American National Standards Developer.

Disclaimer 
The Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Inc. (IREC) does not assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product or process that is referred to or linked to in this newsletter. Reference to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply IREC's endorsement or recommendation. 
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