Delaware Technical Community College Program Profile

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.) 

• Video of lab facilities
• CEET building: Terry Campus
  • CEET 451a
  • CEET 453a
  • BAS lab front
  • BAS lab back
  • Top of CEET building
  • CEET Mechanical Room – with links to spec sheets

1. Alignment with jobs in the area (regionally in the Delaware/Maryland/PA region).
2. The Solar Program is also aligned to NABCEP Technical Sales Exam.  Students sit for the PV Associate Exam at the end of the third semester.
3. Advisory Board input. We have a very active advisory board, see below.
4. 100% Job Placement in all Energy Majors, Energy Management, Renewable Solar and Building Automation Systems.
5. Study abroad has been a huge recruiting tool for us (pre-covid). Several students learned about the program due to interest in our study abroad  program. We have traveled to Denmark and Switzerland to offer our NRG 154 (Alternative  Energy Technologies) course. In 2018 and 2019 students traveled to Italy for the Sustainability class (SOC 103), let by Energy faculty.

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. 

DTCC Renewable Energy Solar Program 

Faculty Name and Email:  Jennifer Clemons  jclemons@dtcc.edu