New workforce program targets building automation jobs paying $25 an hour

CHARLOTTE — Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont is adding a new workforce development program focused on building automation and energy efficiency.

The first cohort of students begins the 180-hour training program today at Goodwill’s Construction Skills Training Center in west Charlotte. New York-based nonprofit Stacks+Joules developed the curriculum and will have its lead instructor on the ground in Charlotte to steer the 14-week course throughout the spring. A second class will start this fall.

Combined, Goodwill and Stacks+Joules expect to train 40 to 50 building technicians this year. Tuition is free, as are all Goodwill training programs. The nonprofit’s revenue, used for training and other social and economic mobility services, comes mostly from its resale retail stores, with additional support from grants.

Marvin Kelley, Goodwill’s director of construction and trade training, told CBJ that building automation is a fast-growing jobs sector. Building technicians are needed in office buildings and other commercial properties to monitor trends and efficiencies for buildings’ lighting, HVAC systems, security and energy usage.

The technology-focused jobs should help Goodwill attract a younger group of trainees, Kelley said.

“They may not go to college but maybe while they’re in (high) school they spent half their time on their phones or playing video games,” he added. “With that being said, we feel this is something that will be appealing to (young people looking for job stability).

Graduates of the building automation program are likely to find jobs starting in the range of $25 an hour, slightly higher than the $22-an-hour initial pay for some of the other construction trade roles fed by Goodwill training programs.

Goodwill and Stacks+Joules are teaming with international smart building company Distech Controls to provide training hardware for the Charlotte classroom. Distech contractors in the area will also recruit prospective employees from the training cohorts.