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October 2011

From the Northeast Alabama Community College website:

NACC Student Graduates from Building Green Jobs Program

Northeast Alabama Community College student Vickie Knight has recently graduated from the Building Green Jobs for Alabama program. This free program was launched by the Alabama Chapter of the US Green Building Council (USGBC-Alabama) and equips workers with the knowledge and skills necessary for employment in the green building trades. USBGC–Alabama is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for the nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings and is a non-profit, volunteer organization formed in 2004.

 

 

September 2011

Green Workforce Update

Dear Future Participants of the Building Green Jobs for Alabama program:

Thank you so much for your continued patience as we are currently serving a high volume of participants around the state. The goal of the Building Green Jobs for Alabama program is to train 550 unemployed and underemployed individuals in Alabama about green building principles and sustainability. Through this program, participants will have the opportunity to network with green building professionals, take one green building credential exam to increase his or her marketability (LEED® Green Associate or Green Advantage®), and tour a local green building.

As Green Workforce Project Director, I wanted to take a moment to update you on what has been going on this summer within this program:


This summer has been filled with evaluating, updating, and restructuring each of the five steps of the Building Green Jobs for Alabama program. Each of these steps have been updated to continually improve your program experience and success. I have been working diligently to create ancillary study material for the LEED® Green Associate and Green Advantage® credential test, adding new facts and statistics about the green industries in Alabama to the curriculum, and launching a revitalized Step Two class that is geared towards integrating the categories of concern in green building while complimenting that education with discussions with local green building experts.

As a result of the high volume of applications that are submitted weekly, the USGBC Alabama Board of Directors has asked me to prepare a priority scale to ensure that we are serving individuals who are unemployed and have worked in the design, construction, or operations fields first. If you are not a priority individual, please understand that your participation is also very important to us. The aim of this program is to help both the unemployed and underemployed, but if you are currently employed but underemployed please respect that the unemployed individuals will be served first due to his or her employment status.

Please continue to be patient as I am working on returning the program to each area of the state. It is important that we have at least 25-30 individuals in each course. If you know of any individuals that might be interested in this program, please direct them to our program website: http://www.usgbcofal.org/greenworkforce/home.html

North Alabama, Central Alabama, and Gulf Region Update:

I anticipate hosting courses in the Gulf, North Alabama, and Central Alabama regions in the coming months, but I have nothing set right now due to an insufficient number of participants in your area. I will do my best to schedule courses in your area as soon as possible.

Birmingham Update:

As soon as I complete analyzing each of your applications and dividing them into our priority levels, I will begin scheduling your Steps 1 & 2 courses in the Building Green Jobs for Alabama program with a tentative schedule for Steps 3-5 courses. I hope to have this completed in the next two weeks.

Thank you again for your interest and support in this program. I sincerely appreciate your patience.

I look forward to working with you towards a greener Alabama,
Justinn


Justinn E. Overton
Green Workforce Project Director
USGBC Alabama
w. 205/870.1557
c. 205/910.5726
justinn.overton@usgbcofal.org

June 2011

Green Workforce News

The month of June is packed with four program graduations from the Building Green Jobs for Alabama program. There is a graduation taking place in the four major areas of the state: North Alabama, Birmingham, Central Alabama, and the Gulf region. It has been very exciting to have served these groups of participants and watch them complete the five-step program! Congratulations to the participants who have successfully finished all five steps of the program! We hope to start scheduling classes in new areas of the state over the next few months!

Justinn E. Overton Green Workforce Project Director

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NASA 4600 Plaque

Building Green Jobs for Alabama participants and Green Workforce Project Director visit NASA 4600 building, located on Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, to tour this LEED® Silver building.

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Huntsville Small Group Mentoring

Participants receive Small Group Mentoring with local green building professionals and USGBC Alabama members as a part of their Step Five: Job Search Assistance and Program Graduation.

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NASA 4600 Tour

Building Green Jobs for Alabama participants hear from NASA MSFC Energy and Water Program Manager, Mr. Davis, about the photovoltaic array on top of NASA 4600.

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Birmingham Graduates

Graduates from the first class of Building Green Jobs for Alabama program held in Birmingham!

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Birmingham Small Group Mentoring

Individuals from the Birmingham classes discuss green building techniques with local Birmingham Branch Committee members.

March 2011

Green Workforce Project featured in
Alabama Construction News

From the February/March issue of Alabama Construction News

Green Building Training Will Educate Workers

by Hugh J. Rushing

IIN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY, GREEN BUILDING IS AN AREA OF INCREASING IMPORTANCE.
According to the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), buildings in the U.S. are responsible for almost 40 percent of carbon dioxide emissions, 40 percent of energy consumption, and 13 percent of water use...

 

 

September 2010

USGBC Alabama Launches Building Green Jobs for Alabama, Hires Project Director

The Alabama Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC-Alabama) is launching a two-year green jobs training program. Building Green Jobs for Alabama will equip workers with the knowledge and skills necessary for employment in the green building trades.

Over the course of the two-year project, USGBC-Alabama will prepare approximately 550 job seekers for re-employment through a five-step training program. Included in the training are several industry-recognized credentials (LEED® Green Associate, Green Advantage®, and HERS® Rater) as well as classes given by professionals in the green building trades. The program is designed so that a participant can readily finish all of their training and gain credentials in six months or less.

Training is offered at no cost to unemployed workers in Alabama that have met the requirements outlined by the Office of Workforce Development. Mrs. Justinn Overton, Project Director, will promote the program and recruit the trainees. The program will make use of professional trainers as well as green building professionals who are volunteering their time and talent through USGBC-Alabama.

Justinn Overton was born in Birmingham and recently graduated from the University of Alabama where she received a B.A. in Environmental Advocacy from New College. At Alabama, she was Director of the Department of Environmental Concerns within the Student Government Association (SGA). During her term in the SGA, she organized various recycling programs and green events. Later, she interned with Hale Empowerment Revitalization Organization (H.E.R.O.) and with Jones Valley Urban Farm, pursuing her interest in sustainable agriculture and water resources.  Justinn is looking forward to helping build a green workforce in Alabama as the newly hired Director of the Building Green Jobs for Alabama project with USGBC-Alabama.

This program is funded 82% with Federal Workforce Investment Act- American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2008 funding made available to the State of Alabama Governor’s Office of Workforce Development and the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs by the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration.

To learn more about Building Green Jobs for Alabama, please contact:

Mrs. Justinn Overton, Project Director, USGBC-Alabama
Phone: 205/870.1557
Email: justinn.overton@usgbcofal.org
Website: www.usgbcofal.org