Training Centers Provide Energy Assessments for Manufacturing Plants
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During a visit to the University of Miami to highlight his administration's all-out, all-of-the-above approach to American energy, U.S. President Obama this past week touted the Energy Department's cost-cutting Industrial Assessment Program. The program supports university-based Industrial Assessment Centers (IACs) across the country, which provide students with critical skills and training to conduct energy assessments in a broad range of facilities, while producing real cost savings for small to mid-size manufacturers. To date, these assessments reportedly have helped save more than 530 trillion BTUs of energy—enough to meet the energy needs of 5.5 million American homes—and have helped participating manufacturers save more than $5.6 billion in energy costs.
"As President Obama made clear, an American economy built to last will depend on American manufacturing, American energy, and skills for American workers," said U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu. "This is why the Energy Department invests in innovative initiatives like the Industrial Assessment Centers that help to train the clean energy workforce of tomorrow, while cutting energy waste for American businesses and making our manufacturing companies more competitive."
Through Industrial Assessment Centers at universities throughout the U.S., engineering students receive practical training in industrial processes, energy assessment procedures, and energy management principles, and gain real-world experience by working directly with small- and medium-sized industrial and manufacturing facilities in their communities.
For more than 30 years, the Industrial Assessment Program has provided training and experience for students, while saving money for manufacturing plants. Since the program began in 1976, the university teams have conducted more than 15,000 energy assessments at U.S. manufacturing plants nationwide. To date, more than 3,000 students have graduated from the Industrial Assessment Center program, with more than 60% going on to careers in the energy industry.
More information and a full list of Industrial Assessment Centers across the U.S. are available online.
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