THE GREEN GAP

The demand for skilled technicians is high and growing. Boston is the 5th best city for LEED-certifications nationally, and every commercial building and entity that develops, builds, and regulates high-performance equipment will need green building technicians. The demand for green building technicians is so strong in Boston that hundreds of graduates with an associate degree in this area would be needed to fill the anticipated openings in these high-paying jobs.

Employers are at a loss for trained workers to accommodate this growth. This labor shortage is the Green Skills Gap.  The green skills gap starts in the current vocational high school curriculum and then continues through current college programs. Both levels of learning lack an education of operations and maintenance for high‐performance (green) building systems.

  Without these technicians, operational expenses for energy efficient and green buildings increase while the performance degrades. Over time, green buildings built today will lose value as real estate owners and property management firms lack the experience necessary to operate the systems efficiently. Training people to fill these well-paid jobs will help the economy grow and the environment flourish.