New El Camino College Program Prepares Students for Green Jobs in the Building Industry
As demand for “green” jobs grows, today’s El Camino College students are poised to become tomorrow’s leaders in the Green Building Economy. According to the World Economic Forum, green jobs in the United States are expected to expand to nearly 24 million, comprising 14% of total U.S. jobs by 2030. Accounting for 37-40% of the carbon emissions, the building sector is responding by transitioning to activities that eliminate or reduce carbon, also referred as decarbonization. This has resulted in an increase in jobs that require new knowledge and skills framed by the principles of sustainability.
To respond to this need, El Camino College has transformed its Environmental Technology Program to address the needs of today’s building economy. Starting the 2024 Fall Semester, the new Sustainable Design program offers students the opportunity to pursue a Career Training Education (CTE) that prepares them for careers in a variety of professions of the building sector. From jobs in planning, development and preservation to energy production and resource management, the program will consist of multiple specialty tracks to help students find their niche in the Green Building Economy. The new educational pathway has been designed to operate independently and in conjunction with El Camino College’s Architecture Program. Currently, the program consists of a Certificate of Accomplishment with an Associate of Science in Sustainable Design, as well as a Certificate of Achievement slated for the 2025-26 academic school year.
“The new Sustainable Design program grew out of the desire to not only address an industry need, but to offer career path opportunities to students who might be interested in non-design jobs” says Marc Yeber, assistant Professor for Architecture and the former Environmental Technology programs. “We recognized that there was a nexus between the non-architecture building professions and students’ interests in being a part of the solution in reducing carbon emissions and waste,” Yeber adds.
The multi-disciplinary program, using the designation of SUST, rolls out this Fall semester with former popular Environmental Technology courses along with new Sustainable Design courses. In addition, the program includes courses from other disciplines such as earth science, political science, and computer science. Two of the new courses introduced are California Planning Practices (SUST 111) and Zoning and Sight Planning (SUST 210). Additional new courses will be launched Spring 2025. Modeled after the Getting to Zero Event Series from the past spring semester, the program will also include guest lectures, panel discussions and related activities.
The Sustainable Design Program is part of the Industry & Technology Division located in the Industry Technology Education Center (ITEC) building. For more information on the program and updates, please visit https://www.elcamino.edu/academics/areas-of-study/sustainable-design.php