GPRO Training for a Sustainable Future
By Ayla Kanber, Earth Forward Group
In recent years, the green jobs industry has been growing rapidly in response to the climate crisis. Between 2015 and 2019 green jobs grew by 13.2% in New York, more than twice the rate of total job growth (6%). In 2002, the non-profit organization Urban Green Council was established with the mission to transform buildings for a sustainable future in New York City and around the world. Urban Green Council acts as an education partner with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) — another non-profit organization that supports the development of prosperous, healthy and resilient communities through the transformation of the built environment.
The foundation of Urban Green Council’s mission is to educate people with GPRO training. GPRO is a certificate program that teaches those who build, renovate, and maintain buildings the tools to integrate high-performance construction and maintenance practices into their everyday work. The program utilizes a holistic approach to sustainability training with expert advisers and current adult learning techniques so that students can pass a trade-specific exam and earn a GPRO Certificate.
GPRO training is a must-have for building trades, contractors and operators who want a better understanding of LEED and green building practices and how they affect the job site.
—Quote from U.S. Green Building Association (USGBC)
GPRO provides several professional trade courses, including:
- GPRO Fundamentals of Building Green — Students learn how to see buildings differently and understand foundational strategies that make them efficient, healthy and resilient.
- GPRO Operations & Maintenance Essentials — This course provides building professionals with strategies to reduce energy use while improving tenant comfort and health.
- GPRO Electrical Systems — This course digs into the latest innovations in the electrical industry and how they lead to increased efficiency and cost savings.
- GPRO Plumbing — This course teaches participants about the economic advantages of water-efficient technologies and practices.
- GPRO Mechanical — This course explains how to make HVACR equipment as efficient as possible, while providing the same level of comfort to occupants.
- GPRO Construction Management — This course provides practitioners with sustainability best practices and actionable strategies for every phase of construction, as well as how to avoid common mistakes.
- GPRO@Work™ — This program is designed to help organizations build upon employees’ technical skills and reduce facility energy use while realizing other benefits such as increased occupant comfort, fewer occupant complaints, reduced equipment downtimes and opportunities for career advancement.
Urban Green partners with other nonprofits, trade unions, contractors, industry associations, governments and educational institutions to deliver GPRO training in the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, there are no prerequisites to take any GPRO course. However, all courses — with the exception of GPRO Fundamentals of Building Green — assume prior knowledge in the respective trade.
Earth Forward Group (EFG) offers GPRO training for a wide variety of clients. In 2022, EFG has already delivered multiple trainings in the CT Technical High Schools and to small, women and minority-owned contractors in New Haven through the City’s Small Contractor Development Program. If you are interested in scheduling a training, please contact Diana McCarthy-Bercury at diana@earthforwardgroup.com.
