08May
At John A. Logan College, students interested in sustainable energy have a lot more options as a result of the IGEN Career Pathways grant. The school developed two new certificate programs and updated existing classes to create a new associate degree program with added equipment for increased hands-on experience.
Students can now study for an Energy Efficiency certificate, which can be completed in as little as two semesters, or an HVAC Performance Systems certificate, which requires three semesters. Both can be used toward John A. Logan’s newly approved Sustainable Energy AAS degree. Six existing classes in the college’s HVAC and Electrical Energy programs also have been revised to become online hybrid courses courtesy of the grant.
Up-to-date training equipment has been added as well to help create new interest in these emerging programs. Five hydro-electric trainers were bought initially for the Energy Efficiency program and a TEC trainer/Blower Door Simulator is being purchased for the HVAC Performance Systems program.
New equipment also allowed instructor of electronics Debra Hess to put together solar training workstations that illustrate roof mount solar panels powering various electrical circuitries. She plans to add another three or four such units during the current semester to give students more access.
Jason Stutes, an HVAC Instructor at John A Logan, sees the benefits the college received from the grant funds. “This grant has allowed us to purchase classroom equipment and supplies that could not have been purchased without grant funds, ” he said. “Now students have been able to participate in lab sessions using up-to-date equipment and simulate real-world experiences in the energy auditing field.”
The college has purchased a portable trailer that allows students to do lab projects throughout the year. It will be used for high school recruitment visits and at career fairs for the exploration of several renewable energy programs. The grant was provided through the Labor Department’s Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College Career Training program.