BPI and NCAF Launch Green Jobs Connection

Connecting Weatherization Workers to Jobs in Home Performance Contracting
 
St. Petersburg, FL, October 26, 2011 - Today the Building Performance Institute, Inc. (BPI) and the National Community Action Foundation (NCAF) announced the launch of Green Jobs Connection, an initiative that will connect BPI certified workers now employed in the federal Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) to jobs within BPI's network of private home performance contractors. 

"The Weatherization program has a vast talent pool of BPI certified energy auditors, home energy retrofit installers, crew chiefs and others. BPI's network of private accredited contracting companies and other industry partners is growing fast. These firms depend on highly skilled professionals to make sure energy efficiency improvements are done right - the first time. Creating an online space where these two groups can easily find one another is a natural step for us," said Larry Zarker, BPI CEO.

All BPI certified professionals are invited to post their resumes on BPI's Green Jobs Connection website (www.bpi.org/greencollar.aspx). They can browse jobs by category, where any contractor or organization seeking to hire BPI certified professionals is invited to post their job vacancy. The site is organized by category, featuring Jobs With Accredited Contracting Companies, Companies Seeking Certified Professionals, Jobs with Industry Partners, and Jobs with BPI.

BPI will actively promote the site to the broader home performance industry to maximize the networking possibilities for weatherization workers and contracting companies. NCAF will inform and connect its network of local community delivery agencies and their workers and contractors to the Green Jobs Connection's interface, and will reach out to state and federal partners to disseminate the information. 

David Bradley, Executive Director of NCAF, which represents nearly 900 local community agencies that deliver Weatherization program services said, "The National Community Action Foundation is delighted to be the outreach partner for BPI's Green Jobs Connection. Our member local agencies are proud they have met the challenge of rapid growth, and are on track to surpass the national goal of weatherizing 600,000 low-income families' homes. However, we are very concerned about the future of these remarkable men and women as the Recovery Act's spending for the WAP program comes to a close. Many highly skilled WAP technicians face unemployment; BPI's Green Jobs Connection is the necessary breakthrough to a national transparent marketplace. It is an enormous service to our local organizations and their workers, as well as to the nascent 'green-collar' retrofit  industry."  

BPI's certification exams are delivered nationally through a network of over 300 experienced providers that includes 17 WAP training centers. These centers provide services based on the WAP Core Competencies and meet the standards for quality training required by the program. BPI works closely with NCAF and other organizations to promote worker competency and exams based on the fundamental core competencies inherent in the National Weatherization Training Platform (NWTP).

About the Recovery Act Weatherization Assistance Program  (WAP)
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 provided $5 billion in additional funding to WAP over three years, to expedite the weatherization of hundreds of thousands of low-income households. The program currently employs more than 14,000 workers across the country, and is on course this year to surpass its national goal of weatherizing 600,000 homes. The program enables low-income families to reduce their energy bills by making their homes more energy efficient.
 
About the Building Performance Institute
The Building Performance Institute, Inc., (BPI) is the nation's premier building performance credentialing, quality assurance and standards setting organization. BPI develops technical standards using an open, transparent, consensus-based process built on sound building science. BPI is approved by the American National Standards Institute, Inc. (ANSI) as an accredited developer of American National Standards.
 
BPI offers the following:

• National standards to ensure top quality, consistent protocols are being followed throughout the home performance and weatherization workforce
• Certification of individuals in building analyst, heating, AC/heat pump, shell/envelope and multi-family designations
• Accreditation of contracting companies committed to delivering quality home performance improvements
• Quality assurance to verify conformance with BPI Standards and provide feedback for continuing improvement
• Affiliation of testing organizations that deliver services in their market  

About the National Community Action Foundation
The National Community Action Foundation (NCAF) is a private, non-profit organization which serves as an advocate and lobbyist for programs that assist low-income families and individuals.  Founded in 1981, NCAF represents local community delivery agencies as well as their state and regional associations to help enhance their work in local communities nationwide, promoting self-sufficiency and sustainable poverty reduction.

Building Performance Institute, Inc.
107 Hermes Road, Suite 110
Malta, NY 12020
Phone: (877) 274-1274
Fax: (866) 777-1274
info@bpi.org
www.bpi.org