LEED Training | LEED Exam | Planet Principles provides online LEED Training

With the current state of the economy, unemployment rates are higher than ever, affecting numerous individuals. If you are currently unemployed as a professional in the building industry, you may be looking for the best opportunities available to improve your job hunt results. As you may have discovered, within the building and construction industry, green jobs are in demand, and such green jobs are requiring a person to contain a LEED credential in order to be eligible for the job.


LEED Certification is a standard established by the United States Green Building Council (USBGC) that distinguishes green buildings with four different levels of certification, ranging from standard to platinum level certifications. These certifications set standards regarding energy savings, CO2 emissions reduction, water efficiency, improved environmental quality, and the stewardship of resources. In order to ensure that building industry professionals have the knowledge to design and construct a building that meets LEED Certification standards, the USGBC has developed an accredited professional testing process in which individuals with advanced knowledge of green building design and construction can become LEED Accredited Professionals (LEED AP) if they are able to pass a LEED AP exam.


The bottom line is that more than 35,000 building projects are currently using the LEED Green Building Rating System, so to remain cutting edge in the job market as a builder or contractor, it is to your advantage to become a LEED Accredited Professional right away.


Of course, if you are unemployed, you may be wondering exactly where the funding will come from for this accreditation, leaving you exploring options for financial aid. Lucky for you, there is a federal program called WIA, or the Workforce Investment Act, which offers assistance for LEED exam registration fees and for LEED exam preparation courses. You can access this information in detail at your local CareerOneStop center.


If you are interested, you can visit any of the CareerOneStop locations to discuss with a caseworker your eligibility. Just print out the information about the Planet Principles LEED exam prep course that you are interested in and bring it with you to your meeting with your caseworker. In some states, Planet Principles programs have already been registered within your state and can be accessed for free to anyone that is unemployed. In other states, you will need to get the Planet Principles course approved by your caseworker before they will agree to provide funding for the course. This is your opportunity to use government funding to support you professional green training goals, based on your eligibility if you are unemployed.


What to Do:


1. Contact your local CareerOneStop location, which can be found at http://www.careeronestop.org/Reemployment/Chang..., and speak with them to determine your eligibility for WIA funding.

2. Ask them if Planet Principles' LEED training courses are listed under the Eligible Training Provider List for your state. If the answer is "no", many states do not require vendors to be on this list, so please email CustomerSupport@planetprinciples.com. We will email you a form letter and course brochure that you can submit to your caseworker to apply for the WIA funding to cover your LEED exam registration and training costs.

3. Contact us once your case has been submitted to your caseworker so we can follow-up with the caseworker to help expedite the process.

4. It usually takes about 3-4 weeks to complete the WIA funding process, so submit your request soon so your LEED training can be paid while WIA funding is still available for you!
Once you have the chance to secure this green training and pass the LEED exam to become an expert with LEED credentials, you will have quite an advantage as a building industry professional. This will give you advanced and required knowledge for a number of design and construction projects that are trying to achieve LEED Certification. The LEED professional credentials can be attained in three different levels, which are the LEED Green Associate, LEED Accredited Professional, and LEED Fellow. Exams are available for each of the credential levels, and after you pass each exam, you will earn the corresponding LEED credential (Green Associate, Accredited Professional, Fellow) as a result.



Planet Principles offers online training to prepare individuals to pass the LEED exams, giving you the necessary tools and skills to have new marketability in your job search as a building professional. With the federal funding made available by WIA, you can access this credential through continuing education to support your career in the new green workforce!