Tri-C Receives $600,000 Grant to Manage Statewide Training Program 

CLEVELAND – Cuyahoga Community College will receive funding in the amount of $600,000 after its proposal was selected by the Ohio Department of Development/Ohio Energy Office.  The grant will help Tri-C fund a three-year project to develop its statewide training program for the Ohio residential building industry.

The Green Academy, a permanent part of Tri-C’s Workforce and Economic Development Division, trains individuals in the principles of sustainability, green construction and increased energy efficiency.  Using newly-developed Green Academy course offerings, Tri-C will develop turnkey curriculum for use by training teams throughout the state.  The Tri-C Green Academy will train 337 contractors/builders and 13 government building officials/raters during the project.

The College will train multidisciplinary teams, led by community college and construction trade councils from Columbus, Marietta, Youngstown and Cincinnati, through immersion in Green Academy/OEO courses.  Tri-C will be a catalyst for other community colleges throughout Ohio to institutionalize their own “green academies” and assist in the development of a tailored curriculum for their region.

This project will deliver Green Academy/OEO courses at Tri-C’s five campus locations beginning in the fall.  The courses will be available in Columbus by December, with Marietta, Youngstown and Cincinnati slated for April 2009.           

In response to the increasing demand for green-building knowledge among residential construction trades, Tri-C launched its Green Academy in 2007.  It offers a curriculum to the building industry that is unmatched in the region.  Most of the courses are targeted to entrepreneur contractors and skilled tradespeople.  The Green Academy is a major part of the Construction Industry Training area.