Selections for Negotiation of Award to Expand Green Jobs Training and Support Cleaner Buildings and Industry
The Industrial Training and Assessment Centers (ITAC), also known as Industrial Assessment Centers, and Building Training and Assessment Centers (BTAC) provide hands-on job training for clean energy careers while helping industrial, commercial, and institutional facilities save energy, improve performance, and reduce emissions. These programs, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, help small businesses save money and expand opportunities for communities to save energy and pursue high-quality energy careers.
The funding opportunity was announced in April 2023. DOE announced the selection of 27 projects on November 15, 2023.
Overview
For more than four decades, the ITAC Program has provided more than 20,000 assessments at small- and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs), which comprise more than 90% of the nation’s manufacturing base. The new ITAC and BTAC awardees will work with hundreds of industrial facilities and buildings across 25 states, expanding the existing network of 37 ITACs and launching 10 inaugural BTACs.
These programs will broaden paths to clean energy careers that don’t require a four-year degree. 17 of the 27 selected projects are based at community colleges, trade schools, and labor unions, including several Registered Apprenticeship Programs. Thirteen of the 27 selectees include Minority-Serving Institutions (MSI).
DOE’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) manages the ITAC Program, and the Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) manages the BTAC Program. Learn more about both programs by visiting the MESC and SCEP websites.
Goals
The ITAC and BTAC programs have a two-part mandate to support small businesses and grow the energy workforce. The programs aim to:
Help small- and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) and commercial and institutional buildings save energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve productivity and performance; and
Build the energy workforce and increase access to high-quality green jobs, with a focus on pathways to quality careers that do not require a four-year degree.
Selectees
-- Award and cost share amounts are rounded and subject to change pending negotiations. Cost share was not required under this funding opportunity.
Building Training and Assessment Center (BTAC) Selectees
FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY
Location: Fayetteville, NC
DOE Award Amount: $900,000
Awardee Cost Share: $0
Project Description:
This BTAC will work with the UNC Charlotte IAC and local community colleges to develop an energy management workforce and deliver energy management services for commercial buildings. The project team at Fayetteville State University, a Historically Black College/University (HBCU), will implement this BTAC in partnership with the state workforce development system, community-based employment support organizations, and local schools and businesses.MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Location: East Lansing, MI
DOE Award Amount: $900,000
Awardee Cost Share: $0
Project Description:
This Michigan-based BTAC will partner with the existing Michigan State University IAC and create a model educational training framework to support a continuous pipeline of qualified entry and mid-level energy efficiency professionals. The Michigan State BTAC will implement a comprehensive energy and sustainability curriculum for both college and high school students while providing no-cost energy assessments to K-12 schools and small commercial buildings. This BTAC will also create several partnerships with local workforce development, education, economic development, and building decarbonization stakeholders, including establishing a local advisory board.NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY
Location: Las Cruces, NM
DOE Award Amount: $900,000
Awardee Cost Share: $0
Project Description:
This BTAC will work with the Oklahoma State University Center of Excellence and Arizona State University IAC to offer BTAC services in New Mexico. New Mexico State will conduct energy assessments for New Mexico businesses while offering a range of energy efficiency training pathways, from registered apprenticeships to micro-credential opportunities. To implement this project and increase its reach, New Mexico State will partner with Santa Fe Community College, Tribal Colleges, Tribal Chapter Houses, libraries, union training centers, and other community partners across the states of New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Arizona.SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
Location: Syracuse, NY
DOE Award Amount: $900,000
Awardee Cost Share: $70,000
Project Description:
The Syracuse University Building Training and Assessment Center (SU-BTAC) will be led by faculty from Syracuse University (SU) and supported by faculty from the City University of New York (CUNY). This project will train undergraduate- and graduate-level engineering students and building personnel in building energy management systems, indoor environmental quality, Internet of Things-based monitoring and assessments, and more. SU-BTAC will work with several regional entities, companies, and labor unions to identify and assist potential commercial and institutional building clients and provide a variety of high-quality job training pathways.TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY
Location: Lubbock, TX
DOE Award Amount: $900,000
Awardee Cost Share: $810,000
Project Description:
This Texas Tech-led BTAC for the South-Plains region aims to bridge workforce gaps, promote energy efficiency, and cultivate a diverse, skilled workforce equipped to lead the transformation toward Grid‐Interactive Buildings (GEBs). The project will develop and deliver a comprehensive set of GEB curricular and training options alongside partnering with industrial and utility partners throughout the region to champion the adoption of GEBs. The project will serve communities in the region and will offer supportive services to student participants including financial aid, scholarships and mentorships, and job placement assistance.THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
Location: Tuscaloosa, AL
DOE Award Amount: $900,000
Awardee Cost Share: $0
Project Description:
The Alabama Building Training and Assessment Center (ABTAC) will partner with pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship readiness, and training/placement programs. The ABTAC will holistically support clients to execute recommended upgrades by offering pre-assessments, training for building staff, and connections for companies to finance and implement upgrades. By leveraging existing partnerships within the community, the ABTAC will provide service to communities surrounding Tuscaloosa, AL.UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA AT LAFAYETTE
Location: Lafeyette, LA
DOE Award Amount: $900,000
Awardee Cost Share: $0
Project Description:
The Louisiana Building Training and Assessment Centers (LA BTAC) aims to create a sustainable and replicable statewide building workforce training program that simultaneously addresses the issues of building energy consumption, energy transition, and energy justice in Louisiana. The LA BTAC will create new building training materials for adoption within architecture, engineering, and construction programs; establish training delivery partnerships with additional two- and four-year institutions in Louisiana; and provide building assessments and training, with a focus on heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC) systems; photovoltaic storage; cybersecurity in communities.UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
Location: Coral Gables, FL
DOE Award Amount: $900,000
Awardee Cost Share: $0
Project Description:
The University of Miami will collaborate with the University of Turabo and existing IACs to establish the Southeast BTAC (SEBTAC) and serve communities in Florida and Puerto Rico. The SEBTAC project will help train regional energy efficiency professionals with one-day energy efficiency assessments and on-site training services. It will expand the existing Building Efficiency 305 (BE305) Challenge program, which sets benchmark and performance requirements for buildings across Miami.UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
Location: Seattle, WA
DOE Award Amount: $900,000
Awardee Cost Share: $25,000
Project Description:
The Pacific Northwest BTAC (PNW BTAC) aims to fill two gaps in building performance improvements: a trained workforce, and access to benchmarking and strategic roadmaps for energy efficiency and decarbonization. BTAC student experiences will combine hands-on and virtual building audit training while creating technical roadmaps for regional building owners. The PNW BTAC will leverage partnerships with Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL), Washington State Department of Commerce, City of Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment, utility conservation programs, and Tribal entities throughout the Pacific Northwest region and northern California, including Northwest Indian College. The PNW BTAC will provide services to Washington, Oregon, and California.UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE
Location: Milwaukee, WI
DOE Award Amount: $900,000
Awardee Cost Share: $75,000
Project Description:
The Wisconsin BTAC project will train students and professionals in energy efficiency, energy storage, and smart building technologies. The Wisconsin BTAC aims to reduce energy burdens in communities while meeting the growing local and regional demand for experienced building energy professionals. It will partner with Tribal stakeholders, such as the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin, as well as state government energy officials and the existing Wisconsin IAC.
Industrial Training and Assessment Center (ITAC) Selectees
ARIZONA WESTERN COLLEGE
Location: Yuma, AZ
DOE Award Amount: $2,000,000
Awardee Cost Share: $0
Project Description:
This partnership between Arizona Western College (AWC), Arizona State University (ASU), the Institute of American Apprenticeship (IAA), and workforce industry partners will create opportunities for more American students and workers in Yuma and La Paz Counties to enter high‐quality green career pathways (e.g., electrician) and strengthen manufacturers through energy audits. By providing comprehensive instruction in green job pathways like electrical systems, industrial machinery, and industrial process heat, this program will grow the skilled workforce qualified to build and maintain energy infrastructure in Southwestern Arizona.ATLANTA TECHNICAL COLLEGE
Location: Atlanta, GA
DOE Award Amount: $2,000,000
Awardee Cost Share: $0
Project Description:
The IAC and Clean Energy Technicians Training Initiative (CETTI) at Atlanta Technical College will use hands-on training to address the growing demand for skilled energy professionals. The project embodies a comprehensive approach to workforce development and community advancement and will develop multiple training pathways, including an Energy Efficiency Assessment/Auditing program and an associate degree in clean energy technology—the latter of which will be the first such degree offered in the technical college system of Georgia. The project will engage with regional IACs, local businesses, nonprofits, Chambers of Commerce, and labor unions to foster community collaborations, serve manufacturers with no-cost assessments, and ensure access to quality jobs.BRIDGEVALLEY COMMUNITY & TECHNICAL COLLEGE
Location: Martinsburg, WV and South Charleston, WV
DOE Award Amount: $3,000,000
Awardee Cost Share: $300,000
Project Description:
This project will support manufacturing employers and clients through enhanced technical assistance and training pathways that lead to high-quality jobs in West Virginia’s emerging energy manufacturing sector. Lead applicant BridgeValley Community and Technical College, in partnership with Blue Ridge Community and Technical College and the West Virginia University IAC, will collaborate with regional and statewide networks of employers, community-based organizations, and labor to expand smart manufacturing and electric vehicle manufacturing training efforts. The project directs activities and investments to communities in regions of West Virginia that are recovering from negative economic impacts of the downturn of the coal industry, residents and workers impacted by the opioid epidemic, and ongoing business impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF RHODE ISLAND
Location: Warwick, RI
DOE Award Amount: $1,800,000
Awardee Cost Share: $0
Project Description:
The Rhode Island IAC (RI-IAC) will help small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) by providing no-cost energy assessments while training energy engineering and technician students at the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI), a designated Hispanic-Serving Institution. CCRI students will serve as interns and participate as members of the faculty-led energy assessment teams. Interns and other CCRI students will receive updated curricula that emphasize energy efficiency in the manufacturing context. The RI-IAC will collaborate with the University of Connecticut IAC, the Rhode Island Manufacturing Association, Rhode Island Energy, Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank, and area chambers of commerce to source clients, develop curricula, and strengthen outreach to communities.ILLINOIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE BOARD
Location: Springfield, IL; various additional locations across Illinois
DOE Award Amount: $3,000,000
Awardee Cost Share: $0
Project Description:
For the Illinois Advancing Clean Energy (ACE) project, the Illinois Community College Board will partner with community colleges across the state: City Colleges of Chicago, John Wood Community College, Southwestern Illinois College, and Lincoln Land Community College. This consortium will work with the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC) to design and carry out energy assessments and offer technical assistance to small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs), while engaging students in training pathways on additive manufacturing, advanced welding, heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC), mechatronics, and smart manufacturing.IMPERIAL VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
Location: Imperial, CA
DOE Award Amount: $1,700,000
Awardee Cost Share: $0
Project Description:
The LIFT the Valley (Lithium Industry Force Training) project will establish an IAC in the Imperial Valley of California to train residents for high-paying plant operator and technician roles in the lithium and ancillary industries. This project will help new lithium extraction and manufacturing businesses improve productivity and sustainability. It will also provide a highly trained and certified workforce of Imperial Valley Region residents, improving the employment landscape throughout the region.INSULATION INDUSTRY INTERNATIONAL APPRENTICE AND TRAINING FUND
Location: Various (Phoenix, AZ; Los Angeles, CA; Wallingford, CT; Miami, FL; Omaha, NE; Lanham, MD, Newark, NJ; and Milwaukee, WI)
DOE Award Amount: $1,500,000
Awardee Cost Share: $100,000
Project Description:
The Insulation Industry International Apprentice and Training Fund (IIIATF)—the training arm of the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers (HFIAW)—will develop and implement a Mechanical Insulation Energy Assessment Training and Awareness Program. This program will train unionized insulators across the country to conduct mechanical insulation audits for small and medium-sized manufacturers. A pilot version of this program found that even modest insulation upgrades generate significant reductions in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, with upgrades usually generating a complete return on investment within two years.KERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
Location: Bakersfield, CA
DOE Award Amount: $1,500,000
Awardee Cost Share: $200,000
Project Description:
This project will establish a Central California IAC to conduct energy assessments, foster regional partnerships, and provide workforce development opportunities for community college students and union workers in fields like industrial automation and heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC). The project will contribute to America’s manufacturing and energy competitiveness in a high-unemployment, highly agricultural, oil-and-gas-transitioning, and largely underserved part of California with a population of over seven million people.
MIRACOSTA COMMUNITY COLLEGE TECHNOLOGY CAREER INSTITUTE
Location: Oceanside, CA
DOE Award Amount: $2,100,000
Awardee Cost Share: $500,000
Project Description:
The FUTURE (Future Technologies to Upskill Rapidly and Effectively) IAC Project at MiraCosta Community College will provide training across energy and manufacturing pathways, including heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC), electrician, lithium battery technician, composites technician, and energy management pathways, where course participants will perform no-cost energy assessments for regional manufacturers. To meet the challenges and needs of San Diego County’s existing populations and ensure a workforce, the FUTURE IAC project will target individuals with barriers to accessing training and employment opportunities, including veterans, high school and alternative high school graduates, Pala Band of Indigenous residents, non-traditional learners, unemployed and underemployed workers, and incumbent workers.MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Location: Perkinston, MS
DOE Award Amount: $2,000,000
Awardee Cost Share: $0
Project Description:
The "Securing the Coast" IAC is a collaboration between Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC), the Mississippi State University (MSU) Center for Cyber Education (CCE), and the Mississippi Cyber Initiative (MCI). It aims to fortify cybersecurity resilience and increase efficiency and productivity among small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) within the region, as well as to create a training pathway in cybersecurity with a focus on industrial systems. With a multifaceted approach that integrates assessments, training based on evidence-based frameworks, and outreach, the project seeks to empower SMMs to detect, mitigate, and prevent cyber threats while training associate degree-seekers from communities for high-paying cybersecurity jobs.MOHAWK VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Location: Utica, NY
DOE Award Amount: $440,000
Awardee Cost Share: $450,000
Project Description:
Mohawk Valley Community College will work with their regional Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) and other community and industry partners to provide assessments to local manufacturers while training students for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC) and advanced manufacturing technician roles. The project will also develop and disseminate training modules to upskill incumbent manufacturing workers in clean energy techniques and work with local partners to expand pre-college training programs, with a focus on serving the region’s low-income and refugee communities.SINCLAIR COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Location: Dayton, OH
DOE Award Amount: $2,000,000
Awardee Cost Share: $0
Project Description:
The Sinclair Community College IAC will work with the existing University of Dayton IAC to expand energy efficiency assessments and training opportunities for high school students, community college students, and incumbent workers and facility managers at small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs). Sinclair will launch new or expanded associate degree and short-term certificate pathways in energy management, facility decarbonization, and energy technician roles. This work will be guided by an Advisory Board composed of representatives from industry, local government, labor, and community groups.SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN TECHNICAL COLLEGE
Location: Fennimore, WI; various additional locations across Wisconsin
DOE Award Amount: $3,000,000
Awardee Cost Share: $0
Project Description:
The Wisconsin Energy Partnership IAC deploys the long-standing relationships and expertise of Southwest, Madison, and Northeast Wisconsin Technical Colleges to Wisconsin’s small to medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs), with a focus on those in communities and on Tribal lands. This project will serve 17 counties across Wisconsin, and it will: 1) provide work-based learning to students via formal apprenticeships and course-based energy site assessments and 2) offer upskilling trainings to SMMs on topics ranging from sensors and cybersecurity to energy analytics and heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC) controls.
WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY
Location: Ogden, UT
DOE Award Amount: $550,000
Awardee Cost Share: $0
Project Descriptionn:
The Weber State University (WSU) IAC aims to train the next generation of energy engineers while providing energy assessments to small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs). The WSU IAC will partner with the existing University of Utah IAC and local manufacturers to provide hands-on training opportunities for WSU students, launch new courses in energy engineering, and run pre-college outreach programs. This project will also use WSU’s on-campus smart buildings and geothermal and solar resources as a “living lab” for additional hands-on student learning opportunities.WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS OF APPLIED SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY
Location: Wichita, KS
DOE Award Amount: $1,300,000
Awardee Cost Share: $15,000
Project Description:
Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (Wichita Tech) will partner with the existing Wichita State University IAC to integrate facility automation systems concepts into training on advanced manufacturing, smart manufacturing, and energy management. With DOE support, Wichita Tech will expand course offerings on topics like climate and energy control technologies, industrial automation and maintenance, and industrial internet of things (IIOT), and offer these courses to both current students and incumbent workers at small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs). This project will provide assessments and technical assistance to increase the ability of SMMs in the greater Wichita region to implement and sustain energy efficiency practices, with a focus on SMMs located in communities. WSU Tech will also increase enrollment of students from communities via summer sessions, outreach conducted by community navigators, and scholarship funding.