Training Illinois Carpenters for the Clean Energy Economy

This is the second in a series of video blogs I’m doing to explore how energy efficiency is creating jobs all over Illinois.

The carpenter-training center in Elk Grove Village is making Illinois a better place in three ways.  First, the center gives workers the skills they need to secure meaningful employment making our buildings more efficient, more comfortable, less expensive to operate.  Second, the money Illinois residents and businesses will save on energy will make our economy stronger.  And third, when we waste less energy, we emit less harmful pollution into our air, land and water, making the state a healthier place to live.

The center is operated by Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters.  During a recent visit, I learned that since 2009 they have been training their members to enter and reenter the workforce through obtaining certification in a variety of energy performance practices.  The carpenter training classes have been running at capacity ever since, and their members are gaining highly sought after credentials, known as, Building Performance Institute Certification (BPI), and graduating as Certified Energy Analysts.

We spoke with Director Vince Sticca, Instructor Craig Triplett, and some of the many students who were there to improve their skills.  You can see and hear for yourself in this video how investing in energy efficiency is creating job opportunities doing work that will help build better Illinois communities.  

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