The green building community understands that greening America’s economy means greening our workforce. One in four green jobs needed by 2010 didn’t exist just a few short years ago.

The LEED Accredited Professional program, which was launched in 2001, recently reached a major milestone. It has now recognized more than 101,000 LEED APs. This demonstrates that transformation is not only possible, it is the natural progression once a marketplace understands that going green translates to measurable economic benefits. We can do well by doing good. Our community knows this from experience.

We have also learned that rapid market growth demands an evolution in the workforce that supports it. As green building has become more mainstream, more individuals from all sectors of the building industry have sought to gain relevant experience and earn recognition for their expertise. In response, the LEED credentialing program must continue evolving to reflect the needs of the marketplace and the growing diversity of the professions it serves.

Never before have we seen a more immediate and defined need to distinguish capable professionals with demonstrable levels of green expertise and the ability to apply that knowledge in the real world by providing real solutions. Change of this magnitude requires entire shifts in entire professions and vocations. Before introducing changes to the credentialing program earlier this year, we talked with thousands of LEED APs for feedback and suggestions. Time and again they told us of the need to keep the designation meaningful, to differentiate it, to strengthen it, to keep it relevant. The very things that they asked of us, the marketplace now demands.

The new LEED professional credentials are the result of that input – feedback from thousands in the building industry who believe that leaders cannot afford to be satisfied with the status quo. For them, the very notion of “best practice” lies in the premise of continuous improvement.

GBCI’s multifaceted credentialing program is rooted in those same principles and meets the marketplace head-on serving as proof that all LEED-credentialed professionals have the skills and understanding to support the latest green building practices. The LEED credentials represent not only distinction for demonstrated knowledge but also commitment to ongoing learning.

There are three fundamental changes to the LEED AP program that are being phased in throughout 2009.

First, there are multiple levels of excellence for a professional to pursue allowing the marketplace to distinguish between practitioners with basic, advanced and extraordinary levels of knowledge. The LEED AP credential will continue to signify an advanced depth of knowledge in green building practices and will add the ability to specialize in a particular field such as commercial operations and maintenance or building design and construction.

There are eligibility requirements for each level of the exam system.

There are credentialing maintenance requirements for all tiers of the new system. As sustainable technologies advance and the LEED Rating System evolves, LEED credentials will continue to ensure that LEED professionals have the latest knowledge and understanding of green building practices.

The LEED credentialing program provides a path for professional development and the foundation for a movement now more than 100,000 strong and growing. Now more than ever, LEED credentials recognize the most qualified green building practitioners in the industry and their commitment to advancing their knowledge and expertise.


For more information on the LEED professional credentials and GBCI, visit www.gbci.org.