Wake Technical Community College is offering two eight-week programs designed to prepare workers for jobs that focus on home energy efficiency.

Students who complete the programs are awarded certificates demonstrating proficiency in the following areas:

Smart home technology: Students learn to install energy-efficient lighting, temperature, and water systems and to perform post-installation service and maintenance.

Home analyst for safety and energy savings: Students are taught to evaluate energy usage through a complete home audit, and to make recommendations to homeowners about how to achieve greater energy efficiency.

The new programs, which begin March 29 at Wake Tech’s Plastics Technology Center in Zebulon, are supported by a $20,000 grant from the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund. They expand Wake Tech’s existing green technology offerings, which include programs in alternative fuels, hybrid vehicle technologies and green building fundamentals.

Unemployed and under-employed workers, including former tobacco farmers and other displaced agriculture workers, may qualify for free tuition by completing a career readiness assessment. For more information, visit www.greenjobs.waketech.edu.