Johnson College

Article Series:
Center for Sustainability at Johnson College
Part 2

One of the current initiatives of the Center for Sustainability at Johnson College is weatherization training.

In October 2009, Governor Edward G. Rendell devoted $1.1 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to the development of a weatherization workforce in Pennsylvania.

The investment would allow more than 1,000 Pennsylvanians to pursue weatherization career pathways. A statement from Governor Rendell’s office, explained, “The awards and training are part of a joint effort by the departments of Labor & Industry and Community and Economic Development to enhance a Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) that will provide training and career-focused employment to Pennsylvania’s workforce, create green jobs, improve residential energy efficiency and speed the commonwealth’s economic recovery.”
Six grant recipients were chosen to become certified weatherization training providers. These providers now help identify, train and certify workers to complete high-quality energy reduction, conservation and weatherization activities in approximately 29,000 single- and multi-family homes across Pennsylvania. As one of the grant recipients, Johnson College was awarded $132,000 to provide this specialized training.

Johnson College is currently one of only seven weatherization training providers in the state. The College offers certified weatherization training to individuals living in Bradford, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne, and Wyoming counties.

Weatherization focuses on making homes more energy efficient, maximizing energy and minimizing costs. Weatherization procedures include, but are not limited to, window and door replacement, weather stripping, attic insulation, and heating and cooling equipment repair and replacement.

The training that Johnson College is providing is the first of its kind in Northeastern Pennsylvania. All training takes place at Simplex Industries in Scranton. Simplex, a leader in modular home production, is a strong advocate of green building practices.

Currently, students can receive certification as Installers, Crew Chiefs, and Auditors. Under supervision, Weatherization Installers install weatherization materials and repair home items that relate to energy efficiency. Weatherization Crew Chiefs provide supervision for a weatherization crew. Weatherization Auditors perform energy audits on homes to determine weatherization measures and home repairs required to improve energy efficiency.

Johnson College’s weatherization training courses began in February 2010. Since that time, Johnson College has fully trained and certified 41 students as Installers. 35 additional students are currently enrolled in the training and are on the path to becoming certified Installers, Crew Chiefs, or Auditors.

“Weatherization training is becoming an integral part of Johnson College and its Continuing Education department. This is an emerging industry and we are excited about the prospect of training individuals for new jobs in such a difficult economy,” stated Marie Allison, Johnson College’s Director of Continuing Education.

Prospective weatherization students can contact their nearest PA CareerLink® office for enrollment information. Visit http://www.pacareerlink.state.pa.us for details.

A website for the Center for Sustainability at Johnson College will be available soon. Until then, visit www.johnson.edu for updates.

Center for Sustainability at Johnson College Article Series:
* Part 1 – Johnson College Announces Center for Sustainability
* Part 2 – Weatherization Training Prospers at Johnson College
* Part 3 – Center for Sustainability Announces Lecture Series
* Part 4 – Lecture Series Capstone Scheduled
* Part 4 UPDATE – Lecture Series Capstone Cancelled

Be sure to check out the ‘Center for Sustainability at Johnson College: Weatherization’ video:

From left to right: Dominick Carachilo ‘82, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Johnson College; Paul Caruso, Vice President of Operations, Simplex Industries, Inc.; Marie Allison, Director of Continuing Education, Johnson College; David Pistner, Weatherization Training Director, PA Department of Labor & Industry; David Boniello ‘84, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Simplex Industries, Inc.

Recent graduates of Johnson College’s Weatherization Tactics class (April 12 – 15, 2010).
From left to right (Back Row): Mike Stanley, Scranton; Vince Verrone, Scranton; Jeremy Dabulewicz, Montrose; Robert Patricio, Swoyersville; Harry Mincer, Montrose; Ed Balada, Montrose
From left to right (Front Row): Anthony Kissolovege, Scranton; Bill Mullen, Scranton;  Joe Strong, Scranton; Nicole Conrad, Montrose; Donald Clune, Waymart, PA
Missing from Photo: James Dougher, Jr., Scranton

Article Series:
Center for Sustainability at Johnson College
Part 1

The Center for Sustainability at Johnson College has been established. The Center is dedicated to a regional understanding and application of green and sustainable concepts. The focus of the Center is programming that provides industry-driven curriculum and events. Education and training provides opportunities leading to industry-recognized credentials and the development of career pathways.

According to The Clean Energy Economy: Repowering Jobs, Businesses and Investments Across America, a study conducted by The Pew Charitable Trusts in June 2009, Pennsylvania ranks as the third largest state for green jobs. In this category, Pennsylvania ranks directly behind California and Texas, respectively.

The PEW study indicates, “A clean energy economy generates jobs, businesses and investments while expanding clean energy production, increasing energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, waste and pollution, and conserving water and other natural resources. The clean energy economy cuts across five categories: (1) Clean Energy; (2) Energy Efficiency; (3) Environmentally Friendly Production; (4) Conservation and Pollution Mitigation; and (5) Training and Support.”

Dr. Ann L. Pipinski, President and CEO, states, “The mission of Johnson College is to provide a foundation of education and skills necessary for specialized employment, career advancement and life-long learning. As a result, the College focuses on recognizing and responding to industry demands in order to provide the most up-to-date training.”

Johnson College, with its awareness of industry needs, initiated plans for a Center for Sustainability early on. Recognizing the opportunities through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and other sources, the College began dedicating itself to the sustainability movement in terms of grants, training, and collaborations in the area of green energy jobs. As part of the planning, the College has had the opportunity to be a part of a grant that enabled faculty members to attend The Sustainable Energy Fund of Central Eastern Pennsylvania’s Solar Scholars program since 2008. Solar Scholars receive hands-on training in order to incorporate renewable and sustainable energy into curriculum. Doug Hampton, Biomedical Equipment Technology chairperson and Solar Scholars attendee, relates, “The program provided the instructors with many topics on sustainability, solar energy and wind power to incorporate into their current curricula.”

The Center for Sustainability at Johnson College is an umbrella term for a number of activities as opposed to being a physical office building. These activities include industry training, continuing education, collaborative programming, degree programs, and community events.

“When people think green, I want them to think Johnson College,” said Dr. Pipinski.

A number of initiatives for the Center are currently underway. Due to a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry made possible by the ARRA, Johnson College is one of six weatherization training providers in Pennsylvania. The College’s weatherization training efforts were recently highlighted by U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Energy Empowers Blog, which showcases success stories that highlight “how, together, we are building America’s new energy economy — by improving efficiency, by building sustainable businesses that create new jobs, and by dusting off age-old skills and using them in new ways to generate clean energy.” Additionally, plans are underway to create a Green Learning House on campus. The Green Learning House will take the College’s modular project concept but make the modular structure that is built a hands-on, sustainable learning tool that students utilize every year, making it permanent to campus and functional for other campus uses, like classroom space.

More information concerning the Center for Sustainability at Johnson College and its current and future projects will follow in the coming weeks. A website for the Center will also be available soon. In the meantime, visit www.johnson.edu for updates.

Center for Sustainability at Johnson College Article Series:
* Part 1 – Johnson College Announces Center for Sustainability
* Part 2 – Weatherization Training Prospers at Johnson College
* Part 3 – Center for Sustainability Announces Lecture Series
* Part 4 – Lecture Series Capstone Scheduled
* Part 4 UPDATE – Lecture Series Capstone Cancelled

Be sure to check out the Announcing the Center for Sustainability at Johnson College video:

Johnson College Cabinet Members
From left to right (Top Row): Donald Ryan, Operations Director; Dominick Carachilo ‘82, Vice President of Academic Affairs; Jeffrey Novak, Chief Financial Officer
From left to right (Middle Row): Shirley Helbing, Director of Program & Institutional Research; Dr. Ann L. Pipinski, President and CEO
From left to right (Front Row): Katie Leonard, Director of Institutional Advancement; Melissa Ide, Director of Enrollment Management

Johnson College’s Weatherization training classes are officially underway. As one of only six training providers in Pennsylvania, the College helps the state identify, train and certify workers to complete high-quality energy reduction, conservation and weatherization activities. This training is the first of its kind in Northeastern Pennsylvania and is made possible by funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). All of the College’s Weatherization training is held at Simplex Industries in Scranton.

The first group of participants completed training to become Certified Weatherization Installers on February 23, 2010. All twelve students attended the training on vouchers from the Departments of Labor & Industry (L&I) and Community & Economic Development (DCED). These individuals came to the training by way of Scranton/Lackawanna Human Development Authority (SLHDA), Luzerne County CareerLink in Wilkes Barre, and Lackawanna County CareerLink in Scranton.

The first class to become Certified Weatherization Installers (not pictured) consisted of: Joseph Bernavage, Scranton; Louis Borini, Old Forge; Greg Brunori, Uniondale; Joseph Lipinski, Jr., Scranton; Frank Marmo, Old Forge; Sean McCormick, Dalton; Thomas Miller, Scranton; Jason Murphy, Noxen; William Reider, Taylor; Russell Rozelle, Dickson City; Leon Viera, Clarks Summit; Jack Yencho, Blakely.

Weatherization training serves as an advantage for job applicants. Once students are certified Weatherization workers, they are able to work on state-funded Weatherization projects and at Weatherization Assistance Providers (WAPs), like SLHDA.

Prospective students can contact their nearest PA CareerLink® office for enrollment information. Visit www.pacareerlink.state.pa.us for details. Please note that new workers are required to complete a series of preliminary assessments to ensure that they have the skills necessary to attend training.

For more information on Johnson College’s Weatherization training, contact Liz Brobst, Program Coordinator, at 570-702-8954 or lbrobst@johnson.edu.

Johnson College Weatherization classes continue. Students pictured above completed the Weatherization Tactics course, which is one of the two courses required to become a Certified Weatherization Installer, on March 11, 2010.
From left to right (Back Row): Don Montigney, Wilkes Barre; Thomas Lloyd, Scranton; Thomas Nourse, Honesdale; Ray Evarts, Glen Lyon; Stephen Balla, Cresco; Edward Grossman, Honesdale
From left to right (Front Row): Dave Kamowski, Wapwallopen; Rich Sims, Larksville; Joe Wentland, Scranton; Daniel Sosnowski, Dickson City; Eric DeYoung, Honesdale; Wilson Davis, Honesdale

From left to right: Liz Brobst, Johnson College Weatherization Program Coordinator; Chad Schwartz, Weatherization Instructor

The Energy Empowers Blog showcases success stories that highlight “how, together, we are building America’s new energy economy — by improving efficiency, by building sustainable businesses that create new jobs, and by dusting off age-old skills and using them in new ways to generate clean energy.” This blog is maintained by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Read about Johnson College’s contribution to the weatherization movement here: “Pennsylvania college trains weatherization workers.”  Or read the article pasted below.

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Pennsylvania college trains weatherization workers

In Northeastern Pennsylvania, an area hard hit by recession, good jobs and careers can be hard to come by.

“Lots of people have been out of work for months. It’s a manufacturing area and there were a lot of layoffs in the past year,” notes Liz Brobst, program coordinator for Johnson College, a private two-year technical college founded in 1912. The unemployment rate in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area rose to 9.7 percent in December, and closed out 2009 near a 17-year high.

But opportunities for new careers are emerging through the Department of Energy’s weatherization assistance network, which is in need of skilled workers to handle projects funded by the Recovery Act.

In early March, 12 students will graduate from one of the first weatherization training courses offered by Johnson College.

Of the twelve students, eight were new to weatherization and four were already working in the industry but needed certifications for their work with local service providers, according to Brobst.

“Graduates can go to a WAP-funded provider or go into private industry,” Brobst says. The program’s benefit “is that the students need no additional training once they finish the program and pass the tests,” she says.

Johnson College is proactively working with local service providers Scranton-Lackawanna Human Development Agency (SLDHA), Luzerne County’s Commission on Economic Opportunity, Monroe County Redevelopment Authority, Wayne County Redevelopment Authority and Trehab on the program designed to provide training for new hires and augment training for current staff.

SLDHA hired 7 new employees in November as part of the ramp up for the Recovery Act, according to Tony Harding, the agency’s weatherization program manager. “We got our first funds on November 4 and did our first [Recovery Act funded] job on November 9.” Harding says the agency plans to hire four of the students.

SLDHA currently has 21 employees in the warehouse where jobs range from installers, crew chiefs, auditors, furnace and other equipment specialists. Operations supervisor Joe Haddock runs the warehouse and has been with the SLHDA Weatherization Program since its federal inception in 1976. SLHDA are at 200 percent of their budgeted units, according to Harding.

Johnson College received a $132,000 training grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry and the Department of Community and Economic Development.

 – Energy Empowers Blog 
2010

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On October 28, 2009, Governor Edward G. Rendell announced that $1.1 million in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds will be used to train a weatherization workforce. More than 1,000 Pennsylvanians seeking to become weatherization installers, crew chiefs and auditors will receive training through this investment.

Johnson College was chosen as one of only six training providers, receiving a grant of $132,000 to provide weatherization training. The grant’s service region includes twelve counties in Northern and Eastern Pennsylvania. As one of the funding recipients, Johnson College will help Pennsylvania identify, train and certify workers to complete high-quality energy reduction, conservation and weatherization activities in approximately 29,000 single- and multi-family homes across the state.

The awards and training are part of a joint effort by the departments of Labor & Industry and Community and Economic Development to enhance a Weatherization Assistance Program. Weatherization focuses on making homes more energy efficient, maximizing energy and minimizing costs. The program will provide training and career-focused employment to Pennsylvania’s workforce, create green jobs, improve residential energy efficiency, and aid the commonwealth’s economic recovery.

“This grant is a natural extension of Johnson College’s mission and will provide many workers with the skills necessary to improve efficiency in the residential housing sector,” explains Mr. Dominick Carachilo, Vice President of Academic Affairs.

Johnson College will be providing all training courses at Simplex Industries, Inc. Simplex, located in Scranton, is a leader in modular home production and green building practices. Mrs. Marie Allison, Johnson College’s Director of Continuing Education, comments, “We are thrilled by the opportunity to offer training classes at Simplex. They have been a tremendous partner to the College for many years and are strong advocates of green initiatives.”

Prospective students can contact their nearest PA CareerLink® office for enrollment information after November 8, 2009, www.pacareerlink.state.pa.us. For information concerning Johnson College, please call (570) 342-6404 or (800) 2WE-WORK.

From left to right: Paul Caruso, Vice President of Operations, Simplex Industries, Inc.; Marie Allison, Director of Continuing Education, Johnson College; David Pistner, Weatherization Training Director, PA Department of Labor & Industry; David Boniello ‘84, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Simplex Industries, Inc.; Dominick Carachilo ‘82, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Johnson College