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North Idaho College expands Green courses; many online

Marie Price, director of Workforce Development at the North Idaho College Workforce Training Center in Post Falls, said there is a growing demand for classes in sustainable areas, especially among those in the building community. A new series of online courses includes details about LEED certification. (Courtesy North Idaho College)
Laura Umthun Down to Earth NW Correspondent
Marie Price, director of Workforce Development at the North Idaho College Workforce Training Center in Post Falls, said there is a growing demand for classes in sustainable areas, especially among those in the building community. A new series of online courses includes details about LEED certification. (Courtesy North Idaho College)
If you are a builder, developer, contractor, or real estate professional wanting to learn more the growing environmental compliance industry, a new online course through North Idaho College’s Workforce Training Center may be exactly what you need. The NIC ProTrain Online program is self-paced and features continuous online access for the duration of the course; hands-on exercises, tests and quizzes; and upon course completion the participant receives a certification of completion. “Everyone is talking Green,” says Marie Price, Director of Workforce Development at the North Idaho College (NIC) Workforce Training Center in Post Falls. “Building Green can have environmental, economic, health and safety benefits.” This knowledge learned can also be used to advance professional certification by sitting for formal examinations through certifying agencies, said Price. This can include an effort to earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED certification, which is becoming one of the national rating standards for environmentally-conscious and sustainable construction. The most popular courses are Photovoltaic System Design and Installation, Fundamentals of Solar Hot Water Heating, and the LEED certification. “LEED accreditation can be a powerful marketing and business development tool for all professionals in the building industry,” she said. The classes are taught through a turn-key partnership with ProTrain, a professional training company in Arizona. “Nearly every program includes around-the-clock mentor support from an industry expert,” says Price. “This is vital to understanding confusing concepts in new ways, answering questions, and giving valuable feedback on a learners’ progress.” Photovoltaics (PV) is the field of technology and research related to the application of solar cells for energy by converting sun energy, sunlight or sun ultra violet radiation, directly into electricity. Due to the growing demand for clean sources of energy, the manufacture of solar cells and photovoltaic arrays has expanded dramatically in recent years. The Photovoltaic System Design and Installation course is 85 hours and Solar Hot Water Heating course is 60 hours. Both courses teach students installation guidelines, safety issues, maintenance, and legal considerations. NIC also offers Smart Home Technology Training which includes Digital Home Technology Integration Certification; Home Networking for Installers; Lighting, Water, and Temperature Control Systems; Introduction to Residential Technologies, Security, Surveillance; and Access Control Systems among others. Price said the Lighting, Water, and Temperature Control Integration course is particularly popular among homeowners who want to learn to control their home environment, while they are away, so they can save energy. “The jobs of the future will be in Green and those who are trained first will be the first to be hired,” says Price.