1 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov Training, Certification, and Accreditation: An Overview NASCSP Annual Conference September 13, 2012 Kelly Cutchin & Jennifer Somers

2 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov Objectives Provide an overview of accreditation and certification initiatives Describe how grantees fit into this scheme Explain the options within accreditation and certification Introduce you to the resources available

3 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov The Standard Work Specifications: Doing the work right Accreditation of Energy Efficiency Training Programs: Training folks to do the work right Home Energy Professional Certifications: Proving that you can do the work right Work Done Right Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals Project

4 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov Define the Work Verify the Training Certify the Worker Foundation of Success How Do We Achieve Quality?

5 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov Let’s Talk Vocabulary

6 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov Job Task Analysis

7 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov National Home Energy Professional Worker Certifications Retrofit Installer Technician Energy Auditor Crew LeaderQuality Control Inspector Sign up for Updates:

8 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov IREC Accreditation – Many Options IREC Accreditation (for training centers) Mobile Training Affiliate Programs Auxiliary Sites Don’t need a bricks & mortar site to achieve accreditation.

9 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov IREC Trainer Certification Options Certified Affiliated Master Trainer Work w/accredited center or independent master trainer 1280 Contact hours Curricula meets JTAs Certified Independent Master Trainer No relationship with accredited center required Responsible for ensuring quality of facilities 1280 Contact hours Curricula meets JTAs Policies/legal status Certified Affiliated Instructor Work w/accredited center or independent master trainer 470 Contact hours Certified Independent Instructor No relationship with accredited center required Responsible for facility quality, admin/mgmt. 470 Contact hours Curricula meets JTAs Policies/legal status

10 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov Resources are available NOW to start you down the path Accreditation/Trainer Certification 90% Application Fee reimbursement (Sept. 2013) Technical support Accreditation toolkit JTA-aligned curricula freely available Worker Certification Exams free for WAP during pilot phase ($750 value per student)

11 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov Training Centers Offering Certification Subsidy

12 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov Extra Slides

13 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov Resources for Accreditation

14 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov The Weatherization Assistance Program is providing a subsidy to offset Accreditation application expenses for qualified training programs. Subsidy Process: 1.Must have a documented relationship with a WAP state or local relationship 2.Must obtain a letter documenting the relationship and provide it to the DOE project officer for the state 3.The DOE Project officer will verify the relationship 4.The WAP will issue a letter to the training program verifying its qualification for the subsidy 5.The verification letter will be submitted by the applicant to IREC with the application Important! Training Programs must apply for the subsidy at the time of application. Subsidy Program

15 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov CredentialFee Due With Application Refundable if Candidacy is Cancelled Prior to Desk Assessor Assignment Additional FeesAnnual Fees Accredited Training Program $3,000, additional Job Task Analyses $1,000 each $2500On-Site Assessment Travel Costs $500 Certified Independent Master Trainer $3,000, additional Job Task Analyses $1,000 each $2500On-Site Assessment Travel Costs $350 Certified Affiliated Master Trainer $500, additional applicants $400 each Not Refundable**$100 Certified Independent Instructor $750, additional Job Task Analyses $500 each $250**$350 Certified Affiliated Instructor $500, additional applicants $400 each Not Refundable**$100 Course Additions to Existing Accredited Training Program $350Not Refundable**

16 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov Accreditation of Training Programs Administered by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council Qualified Instructors High Quality Facilities Complete Curriculum Based on the JTA Props/Tools Policies and Procedures ***Voluntary, third-party assessment of training provider quality

17 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov National Home Energy Professional Certification Pilot BPI will be administering a pilot program to establish passing scores for the 4 new certification exams All participants who pass the exam will receive certification 200 participants are needed to take both the written and field exam per certification. 800 total participants The pilot period will begin June 18th, 2012 and continue throughout the summer The anticipated national roll out for the certifications is late Fall 2012

18 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov Resources for Certification

19 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov Weatherization Training Center Certification Subsidy The Weatherization Assistance Program has set aside funding to reimburse eligible WTC for the fees associated with certifying individual workers Eligibility will be determined by a WTC’s status as a training program providing services to the WAP network WTC must commit to becoming accredited by IREC as an energy efficiency training program. The deadline to submit an application to IREC is December 31 st, 2012 Once IREC accepts the application, the WTC will be issued a reimbursement payment for the certification exams that were administered under the pilot The total amount for exam reimbursement will be 250/written and 500/field

20 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov 30 Years of Technical Expertise

21 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov Standard Work Specifications For Home Energy Upgrades Define the Work A National Baseline for Work Quality Define the Work Verify the Training Certify the Worker

22 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov Standard Work Specifications The Specification defines the minimum level of action required to meet the Objective. The Objective defines the required outcomes of the work.

23 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov The SWS and the Retrofit Process SWS can be used as a menu of available measures to be called for on the work order SWS define the outcomes and minimum quality standards of the installed work Data Gathering Analysis & Work Order Analysis of data for energy savings opportunity, cost effectiveness and health and safety concerns Systematic inspection of all building systems via a prescribed protocol Work Inspection/ Reporting Installation of measures called for in the work order Post installation verification that work has been ordered and completed to national standards

24 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov …we can figure out what a worker needs to know to do the job right Once we know what the work is… Knowledge, Skills, Abilities Job Task Analysis

25 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov Job Task Analysis Identifies and inventories a job’s critical tasks. Formal process for determining and cataloguing what a worker does (what tasks). Skills are classified as either cognitive (mental) or psychomotor (physical); level of criticality is also assessed. Example: Energy Auditor needs to be able to: Set up blower door Run test in accordance with ASTM E779 Record results of blower door test in diagnostic software, etc…. Job Task Analyses establish the foundation upon which strong training and certifications are built

26 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov Essential KSAs Identify the minimum knowledge, skills, and abilities that workers should possess to perform high-quality work Each Job Task has a corresponding set of essential KSAs Examples: –Demonstrate ability to blow insulation at appropriate air pressure and material quantity… –Demonstrate ability to prioritize air sealing measures to inhibit moisture migration… –Demonstrate knowledge of basic building science, including aligning barriers, stack effect, moisture transfer…

27 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov The Accreditation of Energy Efficiency Training Programs Verify the Training Define the Work Verify the Training Certify the Worker A national, 3rd party assessment of energy efficiency training programs

28 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov National Home Energy Professional Certification Certify the Worker Define the Work Verify the Training Certify the Worker A national, job oriented certification program for the four most common residential energy efficiency jobs

29 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov Building the Future: Market Expansion Consistent, Quality Work Multifamily Job Task Analyses (JTAs) Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (KSAs) Market Expansion Private Market Integration Healthy Homes Federal Partners National Evaluation

30 | Guidelines for Home Energy Professionalseere.energy.gov Jennifer Somers Senior Policy Advisor Team Lead for Training and Technical Assistance Office of Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program Josh Olsen Policy Advisor Training and Technical Assistance Specialist Office of Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program