GCC to train weatherization technicians using modified shipping containers

GREENFIELD — With its new weatherization lab in place, Greenfield Community College is prepared to bring back its weatherization technician training program.

Beginning Aug. 3, students will be trained in air sealing, insulation installation, diagnostic testing and other essential weatherization techniques through the free program that was previously offered at the college, but ended more than a decade ago.

GCC Energy Technology Program Manager Sharon Cates said the college’s Workforce Development division has been dreaming of reviving the program. With Wednesday morning’s arrival of 20-foot shipping containers, the college will soon be able to teach students how to weatherize homes using mock attic and crawl space environments.

“Our students are going to be drilling holes and packing cellulose [insulation] in there,” Cates said. “They’re going to be learning all of the skills involved with weatherizing a house to make it appropriate to heat with electricity, with a heat pump or mini-split system.”

The labs and training programs are funded through $925,000 in Massachusetts Clean Energy Center grants — one for $175,000 supported the construction of the labs, and a $750,000 grant is funding the training.

In partnership with Community Action Pioneer Valley, GCC plans to train 40 students to be weatherization technicians in an eight-week program, and an additional 16 students to become weatherization crew chiefs in a two-week program. It is a requirement that those taking part in the crew chiefs training must first complete the eight-week program.

Cates said GCC had originally asked for a higher grant amount to build a modular home on campus for students to work in, but after receiving the smaller $175,000 allocation, the college realized it would need to adjust its plans. Oxbow Design Build came up with the idea to use storage containers and outfit them to reflect the conditions that students will experience in tight environments while weatherizing homes.

“Oxbow Design Build really imagined them with us and brought them to life,” Cates recounted. “We couldn’t have just bought these. … It’s a really elegant solution.” 

Each lab has a different layout inside to allow students to practice different techniques in different environments. One of the labs has siding on the outside and Plexiglas on the inside, which Cates said will allow students to drill into the walls and see their work as they pump the wall with insulation. The containers were outfitted in Deerfield.

Cates said most homes in Franklin County are older and not airtight. Developing training programs will ensure there are enough technicians to keep up with demand, not only as new homes are built, but as property owners look to weatherize their aging homes.

“There’s always a need for these kinds of roles,” GCC’s Director of Strategic Innovation Samantha Wood added.

Peter Wingate, longtime weatherization specialist and energy director at Community Action Pioneer Valley, said the weatherization work is difficult but satisfying, and the training program is designed to prepare students to be “productive employees” on day one.

“We’ve all had that first day on a job where you show up and you feel really awkward and you don’t know what to do,” Wingate said. “Here, at least people will have some idea of what’s expected of them.”

Cates added that GCC’s Workforce Development division works with local companies to understand their needs and expectations for employees, so training programs can be designed to accurately reflect working conditions and prepare students for their careers.

“At GCC, we work really close with these employers because they’re the ones that are absorbing these people into their systems,” Cates said, “and if we’re building the wrong employees, it’s not doing anybody any good.”

Cates said the labs will be filled with props like fans and windows for students to practice air sealing, and students will be able to learn to eliminate leaks of cold or hot air in old homes by installing insulation with equipment like insulation blowers.

“It’s such hard work, you really want people that have experience,” Cates said.

The inaugural cohort of the reinvigorated weatherization program will include 12 students, who, according to Cates, will start their training by learning Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards and requirements. The students will start getting into the labs in mid-August.

The program is free and open to students over the age of 18 who can lift at least 20 pounds, are authorized to work in the U.S., and are committed to completing classes and beginning work after the program. For more information or to register, visit train.gcc.mass.edu.