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Eco Technology College Opens in Colorado

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 05/03/10

A new college is opening up in Aurora, CO focused entirely on renewable energy and sustainable design. Education Corp., which runs for-profit colleges, is opening Ecotech Institute. The new facility, accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, will offer applied science associate degrees in subjects such as solar energy, wind energy, and sustainable interior design.

The Institute is currently accepting applications for all of its programs. Classes will begin July 7, 2010.

Once the Colorado campus is fully established, the company expects to expand its model across the United States, to help students ride the wave of attention currently being focused on jobs in the clean energy sector.

A study released in February by Navigant Consulting found that the number of renewable energy jobs would more than double by 2025 if the nation adopted a plan to require 25 percent of its electricity from renewable sources. The study was done for the Renewable Electrical Standard Alliance for Jobs, a lobby pushing for Congressional support of the plan.

"The time has come for a higher education institution that is 100 percent focused on preparing Americans for green collar jobs, not merely a department or program inside of an institution," said Tom Moore, president and CEO of Education Corp. "Having been built by and for the renewable energy and sustainable design industries in collaboration with academic leaders, Ecotech Institute delivers practical career education that can transform people into highly skilled green collar professionals."

Although classes will begin in July 2010 in a temporary facility, the Institute is transforming an existing building in Aurora into its permanent home. The company said the renovation will bring the structure up to LEED standards. That is expected to be done in early 2011 and will hold between 700 and 1,200 students.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

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