Skills and Technologies Database

Author/Contributor: SAIT, WSP, Alberta Ecotrust’s Retrofit Accelerator

Summary: 

Developed through a review of labour market classifications from Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC) and the U.S. Occupational Information Network (ONET), this database identifies the roles, skills and technology required for high-performance, low-carbon buildings in Alberta and across Canada. Occupations are grouped into three categories (Construction/Building Performance, Decision Makers, and Designers/Consultants) and linked to technologies such as windows, HVAC, envelope enclosures, solar PV, and advanced materials.

This Skills and Technologies database is part of a larger project. It was produced to support the “Technologies and Skills Memo” for part of a market analysis by WSP, SAIT and Alberta Ecotrust’s Retrofit Accelerator. 

The skills database identifies roles and occupations related to constructing and maintaining high-performance buildings into three high-level categories identified as technical or non-technical roles:

• Construction / Building Performance 
• Decision Makers 
• Designers/Consultants

Using these categories, occupations were shortlisted and organized with their associated skills. NOC and ONET databases provided specific abilities and tasks associated with each occupation in the context of buildings. The skills and technologies database was organized by key building attributes, technology measure, and an initial assignment of primary occupation/trade responsible for implementing each technology:

Key Building Attributes:

• Electrical
• Mechanical 
• Enclosure
• Modelling 
• Materials  
• Alternative Energy

Technology Measure – Building system:

• Windows
• Heating plan 

This database, which has a cleaner, simplified version and a more robust version (referenced in the “Technologies and Skills Memo”), will also feed into a skills gap analysis report scheduled for release in 2026.

Note: Only programs active at some point between 2014 and early 2025 are included. Programs launched or ended after March 2025 are not yet captured.