MALTA, N.Y. — The Building Performance Institute Inc. (BPI) and the National Association for State Community Services Programs (NASCSP) are partnering to promote BPI’s Green Jobs Connection, an initiative that will connect BPI-certified workers now employed in the federal Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) to jobs within BPI’s network of private home performance contractors.

“The weatherization program has a vast talent pool of BPI-certified energy auditors, home energy retrofit installers, crew chiefs, and others,” said Larry Zarker, BPI CEO. “BPI’s network of private accredited contracting companies, and other industry partners, is growing fast. These firms depend on highly skilled professionals to make sure energy efficiency improvements are done right the first time. Creating an online space where these two groups can find one another easily is a natural step for us.”

All BPI-certified professionals are invited to post their resumes on BPI’s Green Jobs Connection website, www.bpi.org/greencollar.aspx, where they can browse jobs by category. The Green Jobs Connection invites any contractor or organization seeking to hire BPI-certified professionals to post their job vacancies. The site is organized by category, featuring jobs with accredited contracting companies, companies seeking certified professionals, jobs with industry partners, and jobs with BPI.

BPI will actively promote the site to the broader home performance industry to maximize the networking possibilities for weatherization workers and contracting companies. NASCSP will inform and connect its network of state WAP agencies and their local agencies’ workers and contractors to the Green Jobs Connection’s interface, and will reach out to state and federal partners to disseminate information.

“The National Association for State Community Services Programs is fully supportive of this project and hopes to foster growth in the energy efficiency retrofit industry with the highly trained WAP workforce,” said Tim Warfield, NASCSP executive director. “Our nationwide network of state and territorial WAP agencies has met the challenge of the Recovery Act and now, in the face of budget cuts, must expand into new areas. The Green Jobs Connection will provide a crucial link to provide partnerships with private entrepreneurs, state and local agencies, and workers in both the energy efficiency and healthy homes arenas.”

The Green Jobs Connection Partnership was launched on Oct. 26, 2011, together with the National Community Action Foundation (NCAF).

Publication date: 01/23/2012