On April 6, I had the opportunity to gather with Education partners from across the state of Alabama, along with key industry leaders in the growing ENERGY Career Field. The event was hosted by Avion Energy Solutions in Huntsville, AL.
Immediately following an introduction by Lindsay Ferguson, Workforce Director for the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce, we heard from Daniel Tait, CEO of the Alabama Center for Sustainable Energy. Daniel shared with us some very enlightening information about Energy Careers. We received a handout, which we discussed in detail, outlining different types of industries within the broader energy category, as well as specific careers in the industry paired alongside average salaries, typical education required, and alternative job titles. What was fascinating to me, was that energy career exist in almost any career field you can imagine, from engineers to installation/repair to production and construction. Following Daniel's presentation, we heard from Randy Buckner, Director for Research and Development for Avion Energy Solutions. Avion exists to promote reasonable measures for energy efficiency to lower operating costs for businesses. In order to help other businesses in this same way, Avion followed their own five-pronged approach to cut their utility costs by 54%. The Avion building is now considered an ENERGY STAR building with a score of 77. We were given the opportunity to tour the building and learn about some of these energy-saving measures from an optimized HVAC system, to an installed 50kW photovotaic solar system panel, and exterior lighting fixtures. To find out more about the strides this company is making in energy conservation, you can find Randy's presentation here. After lunch, we heard from Chris Shearburn, Systems Engineer with Southern Solar Systems, and Cedrick Davis, Energy Manager with NASA. As a Systems Engineer, Chris's company installs solar photovoltaic, solar thermal, and geothermal heat pump systems to private and business sectors. As an Energy Manager, Cedrick's job is to run their energy conservation program. He makes sure that they are meeting goals set by the United States government, and makes strides to exceed those goals for the sake of conserving energy long-term. Take a moment to view his presentation to see his impressive results and what he has accomplished during his tenure with NASA. To close out the day, Jerry Adams from Calhoun Community College was there to discuss an educational opportunity for students who want to pursue a career in energy through their Industrial Energy Specialist Degree Program. While the various presentations above provide nuggets of insight into what types of education is needed to enter into this career field, this presentation was very enlightening because this program is very accessible to students in our geographical region and is specific to meet the needs of this growing industry. Click here to read more about this program. If you are intrigued about a career in Energy after reading this blog post, please reach out! I would love to connect you with some job shadowing or internship opportunities. Click on the Contact link in the menu at the top of the page.
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AuthorAs a Career Coach I have the opportunity to gain exposure to various careers and industries in order to inform Madison County students what options and opportunities may be available to them. I also have conversations with post-secondary institutions to gain insight into educational opportunities from which our students can benefit greatly. I look forward to sharing my what I learn throughout this journey with each of you. If you have questions or want more information about a specific post, please reach out using the Contact page in the menu above. Let me help you write YOUR story...one page at a time! Archives
November 2016
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