In recent years, the expanding U.S. green economy has created a significant opportunity for the City of New Haven to enhance its reputation as a leading environmental workforce destination. The city seeks to achieve this by empowering its residents to acquire new skills and knowledge, thereby channeling “green” dollars into local businesses. To ensure a truly sustainable labor pool and a just transition to a green energy economy, we must make certain that workforce programming is accessible, affordable and readily available to our next generation of contractors. 

This week, we are focusing on the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Professional, or HERS Rater. A HERS rater is a weatherization professional and works in the home performance industry. This field evaluates the safety, comfort, durability, and efficiency of a building by considering its structure as a system made up of interacting parts.

This week, we are focusing on another rapidly growing career opportunities in renewable energy — the wind turbine service technician, or wind tech. This position is the fastest growing occupation in the United States, in part because of its particular low barrier to entry compared to the other trades as there are no mandatory licensing requirements.