After graduating from ECA’s Knight Green Careers Training Center in July, Daneerah is not only renovating homes, she’s building a business.
Early this year, Daneerah was perusing websites and looking for opportunities to grow from the retail job that she saw as a dead end. She always had an interest in DIY home projects but, in her words, “the only time I had picked up a screwdriver was to open up the back of one of my kids’ toys.” However, when she came across information about ECA’s Green Retrofit Immersive Training, her interest piqued. “I went on the website and saw some of the pictures of what people were doing and it intrigued me. I didn’t see too many girls, but I knew I could do it. “
Daneerah was nervous but ECA’s instructors were supportive and encouraging.
Through the GRIT training, Daneerah and her classmates learned how to safely use power tools, test for and remediate contaminants, understand electrical currents, and mastered all the basics of construction. They spent time refreshing their math skills for accurate measurements and angles when building stairs, and they learned about energy efficiency and the importance of weatherizing homes. By the time Daneerah graduated, she had caulked and sealed every window in her mom’s house and installed new drywall in her own basement!
Also by the time graduation day rolled around, Daneerah knew that she wanted to start her own home repair and renovation business. Across Philadelphia and into Delaware, she has built and installed custom window boxes, painted 2,000 square foot homes, constructed stairs, and replaced baseboards, crown molding, and light switches. ECA’s GRIT program “gave me the steppingstones I needed to build my own empire,” Daneerah said.
This is the mission of ECA’s Knight Green Careers Training Center: to empower students by providing skills and credentials for lifelong careers in the growing clean energy economy. Every year, we train 250 students just like Daneerah, who go on to be employed in commercial HVAC technicians, environmental remediation, gas line maintenance, solar panel installation, heat pump technology, and more!
This year, we hope you’ll consider making a gift and being a part of a student’s journey to a new career.
