LAUREL, Md. — Commercial buildings in the U.S. burn up about 35% of the nation’s electricity and account for about 16% of the carbon pumped into the atmosphere, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. That makes energy efficiency more important than ever.
And it makes for opportunity when it comes to jobs like industrial and mechanical insulation installers. But training workers in the volume needed for such green jobs is a challenge.
"We aim to grow a lot faster to keep up," said Jim Hoos, apprenticeship and training director at Insulators Local Union No. 24 of the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers in Laurel, Maryland.
This month, the union was among the first training programs in the nation to receive a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to expand training.
Department Deputy Secretary of Energy David Turk joined Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD) to announce the grant for $215,000 out of $40 million allocated to the Department of Energy to expand green jobs training in the U.S.
“Green jobs are essential to our competitive business landscape, vital to our environmental future and to the prospects of young people who want to start a career in the building trades," Ivey said.
Local 24 members pointed out that green jobs are not just in the solar installation and wind energy industries. In their case, efficiency and conservation from modern insulation achieve the same carbon reduction goals by focusing on the infrastructure of U.S. buildings.
"We’re energy conservation specialists," said Local 24 business manager Julio Caicedo.
Apprentices Tremayne Spriggs, Kevin Martinez and Staton Thomas are among the 60 workers already learning the trade in Laurel.
"It's the stuff behind the scenes, up in the ceiling tiles and in the boiler rooms that you don't see," Thomas said.
"We're like number one in efficiency," Martinez added.
Spriggs said he moved from "flipping burgers" at a McDonald's for a little more than minimum wage to a job paying more than $30 per hour with benefits.
"I'm sticking with it," Spriggs said. "It's a good job."
Caicedo said the apprenticeships are a commitment. Workers train for five years, but are employed throughout the process.
"You get paid while you're learning," he said. "So, you come out of high school, you don't have to worry about going into debt paying paying for college tuition or anything like that. You come here, we train you up and you get paid while you learn, go to work, make a decent living, and you support your family."
"I chose this industry because it's the only one that you can have like about $100 worth of tools and make $80,000 a year," Thomas added.
The local is now accepting applications for new apprentices.
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