Pikes Peak Community College students with interests in math, science and energy will have a new option this coming term.

A two-year program on energy management technology is aimed at placing graduates in jobs that blend field work with office work, said Steve Doty, program author and PPCC instructor.

“It’s an experiment,” he said, adding that the program is ready to go as long as enough students sign up for courses.

Energy is a hot field now, with interest fueled by increasing prices, Doty said, adding that graduates from the program could potentially find jobs anywhere.

Engineers typically do energy audits, but with the right training graduates from a two-year program could do the same work, Doty said. Potential employers who were surveyed immediately saw the value, he said, adding that business desires were considered when designing the program.

“A lot of good ideas for energy savings never get off the ground because they don’t have the numbers to back it up, or the numbers are wrong,” Doty said. “Businesses need reliable cost and savings figures to make decisions.”

The program is not aimed at replacing engineers, he said, but it fills a gap in a field dominated by people with doctorate degrees.

The concept earned praise from Nick Kittle, Innovation and Sustainability manager for the city of Colorado Springs.

It gives students hands-on experience with energy efficiency, he said.

“A lot of the time, energy efficiency happens at the tradesmen level,” Kittle said, adding that conservation is often discussed but not put into practice.

PPCC’s energy management technology program matches need with opportunity, he said.

Traditional engineering curriculum doesn’t have much room for specialization such as energy management, Doty said. A two-year program allows for an extensive focus over time instead of trying to cram everything into one class. Eventually, he said he hopes the program will count toward credit in four-year programs at colleges around the state.

“It appeals to both high school students and working professionals,” said PPCC Sustainability Coordinator LeeAnn Westfall. The course offer a chance to brush up on skills and help develop a new workforce, she said.

“It shows PPCC is working toward a green workforce,” Westfall said, adding that the only way to deal with increasing energy prices that are critical to any company’s bottom line is to have educated and trained workers.

The challenge is getting students with enough math and science knowledge, and then getting employers to appreciate them, Doty said.

Doty spent two years planning the program, and he knows the material. At Colorado Springs Utilities, he does energy audits for commercial and industrial customers. Prior to that, he worked as an engineer, designing systems in the buildings like the ones he audits.

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