Commercial Energy Management Technology (CEM-Tech) is a three-year project to develop a certificate and an Associates of Applied Science (AAS) degree program whose aim is to address a nationwide shortage of trained building technicians and training programs in the commercial energy management area. This is particularly important in the areas of building automation, commercial energy auditing, building commissioning and retro-commissioning. This shortage is bound to become more acute over the next few years as current HVAC technicians in the commercial and industrial fields start reaching retirement age, and as the field of building construction advances and grows. Raritan Valley Community College's CEM-Tech program aims to develop curricula and student experiences that will help to meet this shortage. This will be done working closely with industry experts. The goal is preparing students and incumbent workers in Sustainable Building Operations.
Raritan Valley Community College will work to develop an industry-aligned curriculum following rigorous academic standards, a campus as a living laboratory model, and strengthening core curriculum for general education. The end product being a Certificate and an AAS degree in Commercial Energy Management Technology. Industry partners and like-minded community and four-year colleges have been invited to join in a collaborative effort where curriculum-development best practices and the sharing of resources will be emphasized. A portfolio of stand-alone seminars with stackable credentials will be developed for both facilities managers and incumbent workers. Transfer pathways will also be developed for high school students, incumbent workers, and managers. A special focus will be placed on developing strategies to reach minorities and under-represented populations. Following the recommendation of industry partner, new laboratories will be equipped with state-of-the-art hardware, software, and instrumentation that is relevant in the field. The outputs of this effort will be available for nationwide dissemination and sharing.
