Edmonds College
IN-3: Innovation 3

In 2008, the college developed the first 2-year degree focused on energy efficiency in Washington state, the Energy Management Associate's Degree, and it is really one of only a handful in the country. Most new energy degrees developed at this time focused on renewable/alternative energy generation as opposed to energy efficiency/management. We began offering classes in fall of 2009, and since then, we have graduated 24 students in the degree and 54 students in one of our certificates (unduplicated count). We currently have a 68% placement rate into employment. In addition, the energy management department was awarded four grants, two of which helped students directly by funding them and two that were project-based: Department of Labor Sound Energy Efficiency Development, Department of Labor State Energy Sector Partnership, National Science Foundation-Meeting the Challenge of Energy Management in a Carbon-Constrained World, and Department of Energy Smart Grid Training Grant. Our grant work brings together education and industry to verify and improve our innovative program while sharing our results with our educational partners. Through our National Science Foundation grant, we've created the Energy Educators Association for Washington State, sharing information, creating professional development opportunities, and providing a platform for collaboration for energy educators across the state.