What's New on the Site

FOR EDUCATORS
  • Bring Augmented Reality into your instruction- details here.
FOR EMPLOYERS
  • IFMA and the CA Community Colleges have been recognized as a Top 10 partnership promoting job and wage growth in CA through innovative Facility Management programs - read more.
  • The California Construction and Industrial Materials Association (CalCIMA) has teamed with the ECU Sector and the California Community Colleges to develop workroce training programs to meet strong demand in the construction industry. Read more!
  • Governor Newsom's Strike Force has released a new report on the Energy Impacts of Wildfires and Climate Change - read more here.
  • You know how hard it is to attract skilled young talent to the electrical contracting field. This article from Electrical Contractor gives you some tips.
  • More than half of businesses in the US plan to increase energy efficiency spending over the next 12 months - Johnson Controls survey, full report here.
  • Are you prepared to replace your aging Facility Managers? Read more.​
FOR STUDENTS
  • See what's happening in LA County Colleges' ECU programs - brochure.
  • CSM is one of several colleges offering IFMA's Facility Mgmt training. Watch the video!
  • Watch Jenna & Evangeline tell their stories about how they became carpenters.
  • Power cuts create career opportunities? Read this!
  • The Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says "Be a plumber: Get rich!" Watch here.
  • 9 Construction Tech Trends that are worth watching in 2019 - watch the video.
  • The future is bright for Facility Managers - see this article from the California Economic Summit.​
  • Career opportunities in HVACR take many forms - check out this interactive career map.
  • Half of America's jobs require more than a High School diploma but less than a 4-year degree -  Read more.​

Notable Events

James Morante, Statewide Director for the ECU Sector, participated in the 20th Annual North State Economic Forecast Conference on January 9 in Redding to share our Sector's rewarding collaboration with the California Construction & Industrial Materials Association (CalCIMA) and Butte College to train the state's future construction workforce. Bridging the demand gap will require innovative solutions and intentional engagement with non-traditional populations.
  • Faculty working on the Strong Workforce funded "Automation Pathways" project met on September 13 at Santiago Canyon College to discuss program progress, professional development, lab needs, and Building Automation Systems.  Faculty members from six Orange County community colleges are working together to develop stackable certificates in automation systems, providing regional credentials for students entering a labor market increasingly impacted by automation. Special guest Brian Lovell, president of Association of Controls Professionals, spoke to the group about resources and certification supporting building automation instruction. For more information, contact James Morante, ECU Statewide Director.
  • Women in Trades Workshop in the Central Valley, introducing High School women to high-paying jobs in the construction trades. November 6, 2019 - click the icon to learn more.
  • Cabrillo College hosted an Energy Code Enforcement event on May 29. Click the flyer to learn more.
  • Green Technology Training hosted a day-long workshop to review the updates to CALGreen (Title 24, Part 11) and the California Energy Code (Title 24, Part 6) for residential and non-residential buildings. May 15 at the Sacramento Convention Center.
  • On May 16 at the Sacramento Convention Center, the Sustainable Facilities Forum – the evolution of the Green California Summit - addressed strategies and resources for ZNE construction and retrofits, organic waste management, EV charging infrastructure, and more.
  • Following a successful event in October, PG&E and Stone Edge Farm co-sponsored another Microgrids Faculty Professional Development Event in Sonoma at the Sonoma Veterans Memorial Hall and at Stone Edge Farm on April 11.
  • The Northern California HVACR Collaborative launched on September 14 at San Jose City College, to foster idea and resource sharing between community college faculty, administrators, and industry in order to expand and enhance HVACR career education in the region.​

ECU In The News

  • Chaffey College's InTech Center Director, Sandra Sisco, was recognized by the California Assembly as Women of the Year for significant contributions to the Inland Empire community
  • Proper handling of wastewater is a critical issue in the United States, which alone discharges nearly a trillion gallons per year of untreated sewage into water bodies. Smart Cities are built starting from eight feet below the ground, according to this article from meetingoftheminds.org.
  • Microgrids are impacting time-of-use metering in California. Read this white paper from Enel X, brought to you by MicrogridKnowledge.com.
  • Getting to 100% Zero Emissions: California's Investor-Owned Utilities are on track to reach 50% renewable energy sources by 2020, but UtilityDive.com reports that the path to 100% zero emissions across all sectors by 2045 isn't as clear. Read the article.
  • Half of America's jobs require more than a High School diploma, but less than a 4-year degree. Why are these jobs under so many students' radars? Find out in this The74Million.org analysis.
  • Automation may be threatening some jobs, but education is creating new ones according to this PBS News Hour story.
  • More than half of US organizations plan to increase their energy efficiency spending over the next 12 months, according to a recent survey conducted by Johnson Controls. Download the full report here.
  • PG&E has received approval to procure 567.5 MegaWatts of storage yielding 2,720 MWh of capacity, more than 4 times the capacity of any existing installation. Read the press release from Energy Storage North America (ESNA).
  • Navigant Research  forecasts revenue for the commercial, energy efficient HVAC technologies market to grow from $29.4 billion in 2018 to $61.2 billion in 2027, owing to current regulation supporting commercial building owners to adopt smart controls, enabling intelligent management and building operations.
  • The Honda Distribution Center in Torrance has commissioned North America's largest microgrid installation, with a 2 MW solar array backed up by 546 kWh in storage - read more here.
  • ​Educators around the state met at the California Independent System Operator in Folsom, CA for a 2-day symposium on Integrated Distributed Energy Resources and the impact they're having on the grid, the climate, and the workforce. Read this article from CAEconomy.org.
  • The Construction sector is hot! High paying jobs abound, and the Community Colleges are poised to get you the training you need for a great career. Read this article from NPREd.
  • California is helping low income women train for construction jobs - read the CNN Money article.
  • Check out this article on High Performance Building Operators at AutomatedBuildings.com.
  • The Lighting Controls Association (LCA) has partnered with the California Community Colleges to provide LCA's Education Express online training programs - read the announcement.
  • Over 1.9 million jobs in America are focused on Energy Efficiency, with 13% job growth.  California is the biggest market for Energy Efficiency Workers, at over 320,000 jobs.  Read E2.ORG's study.
  • Read the CEC's study exploring barriers to and opportunities for expanding low-income customers’ access to energy efficiency, weatherization, and renewable energy investments.
  • ​NPR reports that San Francisco began requiring rooftop solar on new commercial buildings beginning January, 2017.
  • ​Why energy for industry matters:  Read this release from Siemens.
  • ​This report says that California has the 4th lowest per capita energy consumption in the country.
  • ​​The CA Economic Summit has taken notice of our HVAC Employers Collaborative.