Pennsylvania College of Technology held a groundbreaking ceremony June 13 for two projects funded, in part, by a $2 million U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration grant: construction of an 1,800-square-foot Clean Energy House and renovations at the Carl Building Technologies Center on main campus.

The grant focuses on attracting and upskilling the current and future workforce to meet the increasing demand for clean energy, architecture, construction and concrete science professionals, Penn College President Michael J. Reed said. It’s estimated that the grant will result in the creation or retention of more than 435 jobs throughout the region.

Once constructed, the Clean Energy House will be used for training home-energy professionals with in-demand skills and certifications. The college’s nationally recognized Clean Energy Center will utilize the training house to connect the skilled trades learning facilities with clean energy workforce programs, to expand and improve the quality of training and certification testing for new and incumbent clean energy workers, and to respond to industry changes affecting the profession. The programs and certification testing will be offered at no cost to students and are intended to produce a pipeline of skilled workers for the construction and energy sectors.

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