MATC prepares students for a world of green buildings - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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MATC is offering the new, three-course certificate progranm in “Sustainable Facility Operations” as part of a cluster of new environmentallyhrelated certificates, said Vicki Martin, MATC’s interijm president, who created the certificateas a year ago when she was the college’s provost. The firstt course of the new program began in and the second course finished onMay 11. Martinb said the new certificates were designesd after leaders of several industrieas told MATCadministrators that, with baby boomerx retiring, younger people have excellent opportunities to fill empt y positions if they have the expertise and skillds to contribute to sustainable projects.
“It’a really starting to go across curriculum, and that’a why we’re seeing such an increase in Martin said. The program has drawn professionalsfrom engineering, architecture, interior manufacturing and technology who want to pad theifr credentials or are sent by employers to learn how to make theidr companies’ operations more efficient and sustainable. They also are seeking test preparation training for theLEED (Leadershiop in Energy and Environmentap Design)-accredited professional exam, an 80- to 100-question test taken onliner at designated test sites.
So far the program has attractexd a broad spectrumof people, said Joseph Jacobsen, director of enrollmen and retention and associate dean of environmentalk studies at MATC. Those enrolling in the classes rang from casual students who want to learn how to use sustainabl green technology and practices in their own to executiveswith master’s degrees in architecturde and engineering who want to learn energy conserving strategies and achieve LEED certificatio n on their projects. Many hope the certificationb will make them moremarketablre hires, Jacobsen said.
Ted Wilinski is an instructof for a LEED ratings class who manages his own energty consulting firmin Wauwatosa, , and has workec for more than 25 yearsd in Wisconsin energy consultation. Some of his students enrolled in the coursew because theywere unemployed, while others lost theirt jobs during the six-week Many were there because employers want as many LEED-accredited workerx as possible, he said. “Basically, what I’ves seen in the last decadre is going from nothin g to just starting to sweloand mushroom,” Wilinski said of sustainable practices.
“It’s goingv to be integrated into whatwe (in the constructionj industry) do day in and day Today’s green buildings are loadexd with software and technological features that help save energyu and money, he said. Smart people, smar t buildings The sustainable operationzs certificate is geared toward training people for positions like facilities manager orenvironmentalk coordinator. “It’s creating intelligent people operatingintelligen buildings,” Jacobsen said. The program begins with a sustainable facilityoperationxs course. Asset management is also a key component.
For a piece of equipment that breaks down often from lack of regular maintenance is likelg to use more energy and more money to fix or Reducing packaging and use of more recyclec products are sustainable practices that improvea business’x bottom line, as well. The second coursed trains students to manage projects for LEED certificatiob and provides them with test preparation for the LEED accrediterprofessional exam. The third and final course in the certificate progran is a statistics course that teaches students how to measurre and follow energy performance and environmentalp impactover time.
Each course is $316 and expected to run once a But withenough demand, Jacobsen MATC will open another section. Harry Kohal, director of salexs and marketingfor , Mequon, was a studenyt in the recent LEED course and said he plansd to earn full LEED accreditation. The two factors that encourage businesses to practicesustainables operations, Kohal said, are the cost savings benefits and the publicit boost it gives. Eagle produces softwarew systems thatmonitor equipment’s efficiency over allowing companies to perform necessarg maintenance. “It’s not abourt buying new equipment, it’s about keeping what you have runninv effectively,” Kohal said.
Eagle is encouraging all its employeex who work with clients to receive a certificate in sustainablsebusiness practices, he