MassCEC has conducted a report of employers and workers in the Massachusetts building operator sector, focused on clarifying current workforce needs, career pathways, demographics, and training, certification and experience requirements.
The report analysis is based on two surveys, one of employers and current workers, and additionally, a subset of executive interviews with employers and training providers. The report focuses on six occupations connected to the building operator sector, including facilities managers, maintenance supervisors, and superintendents, energy engineers and energy managers, HVAC installers, mechanics and service technicians, building maintenance mechanics and general maintenance workers, among others.
The report determines that are around 45,000 Building Operator jobs in Massachusetts and that these employees play an important role in reducing energy consumption in residential, commercial and industrial buildings across the Commonwealth. The report found relatively high career satisfaction, and access to employment benefits. However, awareness of the occupations associated with the Building Operators field is low, and it is anticipated that as current employees will age out, there will be increased need for a trained workforce to take their place. The report provides various methods to increase awareness of the Building Operators field, as well as increase diversity in Building Operator occupations, and increasing awareness of new high-performance building technologies enter the market.