Trident Tech partners with Virginia Tech on green work force development program

Charleston Regional Business Journal
Chelsea Hadaway
July 8, 2009

Trident Technical College has launched TTC Green, a partnership with Virginia Tech to develop curriculum in the green sector and to become a local source for work force training in green jobs.

Trident is tapping into Virginia Tech’s Energy Efficiency Partnership, which it has developed in part to tie the curriculum taught in the classroom to what’s relevant in the business world.

“Trident Tech does not want their students to learn in a vacuum,” said Laurel Colless, founder and director of the partnership at Virginia Tech. The goal is to match skill sets needed in the real world to what’s taught in schools, she said.

The two schools will develop curricula on green building, green engineering technology and other energy efficiency-related areas. Virginia Tech will also help Trident develop a comprehensive energy efficiency retrofit program.

In addition to training its current students, Trident Tech will work on continuing education and work force training for green sector jobs.

As one of six energy efficiency training centers in the state, Trident Tech will lead training programs on weatherization of homes and performance of energy audits. The training programs will be funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which has allocated about $4 million to South Carolina for this purpose, said Russell Darnall, director of manufacturing, industrial and construction trades at Trident Tech. He will manage the training programs for the school.

“TTC is producing graduates who are prepared for employment in an emerging economy that depends on green technology,” he said.

The continuing education courses on weatherization of homes will run about four weeks and will train people to be inspectors, evaluators and technicians, Darnall said. The school is using a construction training house on its campus as a testing center for the weatherization courses.

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