This program was archived Fall 2024
Information Updated November 2022
Jennifer Clemons Delaware Technical Community College
2012
Maximum class size in Energy Classes 16. Typical class size 10 for first year under 6 for second year classes.
Jennifer Clemons is the only Solar Faculty member. She teaches all of the PV courses, and also oversees the other AAS programs in Energy Management and Building Automation.
Associate Degree in Applied Science: Renewable Energy Solar
Program is a 2 year AAS degree
Face-To-Face with some Hybrid
Program requires 64 credits
There isn’t one place most of our students come from. Occasionally, we have more high school students. Other years, it might be military or change of career, where the bulk of students have come from. Many of our students have been working in a related field such as HVAC or electrical and are looking to upgrade their skills. Additionally, word of mouth from past graduates brings in additional students looking to change their career path.
The energy programs are housed in the Center for Energy Education and Training (CEET) building. This facility was built in 2012 to host the energy programs and is LEED platinum certified. The facility is approximately 7500 square feet. It contains 2 classrooms (which seat 16 each). There is the potential for 3 lab spaces (large lab can be separated with collapsible doors; we usually leave them open.)
We meet with our advisory board three times a year. The board is extensive and is made up with many different industries. We have the advisory board review courses and alignments to industry standards.
Advisory board members are also invited to our Capstone Presentations in May. All the potential graduates in all three programs get together and present their final projects. Pre-Covid we provided lunch and encouraged the students to network with advisory board members. Since 2020 this has been a virtual event.
We require all students to do a work experience. (This can be either internship or Co-Op.) Students are required to work in the field for 135 hours, to gain the 3 credits required. Part of this work experience includes resume writing and career counseling. Most students receive a full-time offer after completing their work experience.
We also started our own job board email list serve. I auto-enroll all students at the beginning of the semester with their school and personal emails. All job opportunities are sent to all students enrolled in these energy technology programs, as well as alumni.
We happily boast that our placement rate is 100% for all our energy programs, for employment in the field or continuing education. Because our program is an A.A.S. degree it is designed to go directly into the workforce, however some students choose to continue their education for a bachelor’s degree and more.
The Renewable Energy Solar program has an approved articulation agreement with Wilmington University for either their Organizational Management Bachelor’s Degree or their Environmental Science and Policy degree.
Even though it is not an articulated program, several of our graduates have attended Penn State for Energy and Sustainability Policy degree, which is available totally online.
Faculty Name and Email: Jennifer Clemons [email protected]
Copyright @ 2024 Center for Renewable Energy Advanced Technological Education
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant #2201631. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National ScienceFoundation.