Cincinnati State is adding to its array of green and sustainable workforce development programs with a new Center of Sustainability Excellence. The program is geared toward the manufacturing and distribution industries, with curriculum focused on the technical and scientific application of sustainability.
"We clearly recognize there is a need for this, and we will be able to deliver the education asked for in the manufacturing and supply chain sectors," said James Kleemeier, Center Project Manager at Cincinnati State.
Kleemeier believes this is one of the first programs of its type in the nation, and the first one in the Greater Cincinnati region. He expects it to be offered by late summer or early fall, though a specific date hasn't been set yet. The program has two components: online and in the classroom.
It will begin with "Introduction to Environmental and Social Management," an eight-hour online course that outlines sustainability concepts and the business case for sustainable development. Completion earns students a course certificate and one credit hour. The online course is a prerequisite to further classroom work. Following the online work, the program offers seven more accredited classes at
Cincinnati State's Workforce Development Center in Evendale.
The classroom courses are:
• Certified Sustainability Manager
• Sustainability Auditing Techniques
• Sustainability Solutions to Technical Issues
• Energy RRR (Reduction, Recycle, Reuse)
• Sustainable Supply Chain
• Sustainability Program Management Techniques
• Sustainable Solutions to Economics & Community Development
The program was developed in partnership with the
National Sustainability Coalition and the
International Sustainability Institute of Applied Sciences.
"The Sustainability Center will serve as a regional resource to the labor market by offering sustainability education that is sensitive to real-life experience and relevant to what people are doing in the workplace," Cincinnati State President Dr. O'Dell Owens said. "With the concept of sustainability firmly imbedded into our lives and the immediate future of our society, now is the time to apply ecological knowledge to decision making at every level."
Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Cincinnati State Communications and Center of Sustainability Excellence Project Manager James Kleemeier
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