Penn College at Pittsburgh
Building Performance Lab

Pittsburgh Gateways has partnered with Penn College to co-develop a workforce development hub, training lab, and community engagement space in Homewood, which opened in early 2025.

Karen Benner serves as Director of Building Performance Programs leading the partnership with Penn College, and promoting workforce development and training, contractor growth and apprenticeships, and community outreach and awareness. The mission of the Pittsburgh Workforce Development Center is to teach how to reduce energy consumption in homes and communities, while also improving comfort and safety. Programs focus on building performance training, providing in-demand skills and certifications for both residential renovations and new home construction careers.

Karen has been working in the residential construction industry for over 25-years, earned professional accreditations in sustainability in 2009, and was named National Assocation of Home Builders’ Best-In-Green Young Professional of the Year in 2015. Prior to joining Pittsburgh Gateways, she spent 5-years as an independent consultant, helping contractors improve profit margins and reduce risk through better project management tools and operational efficiency.

“I am thrilled to have joined Pittsburgh Gateways in this new role, and for the opportunity to collaborate with all regional partners working at the intersection of energy efficient & healthy housing, affordable home ownership and environmental justice. The Penn College team has been fantastic to work with, and we look forward to a successful partnership maximizing our impact for current and future generations of our residents.”

For the full story, read the press release from Penn College here. For more information, or to get involved, contact Karen here.

As an economic development organization, Pittsburgh Gateways is committed to identifying ways to improve economic opportunity for the community where we work.  This partnership compliments our efforts to address the shortage of training for residential construction workers in our region, which is contributing to the housing crisis.  Penn College Workforce Development is one of the nation’s leading providers of building performance workforce training and technical assistance.

The mission of Penn College at Pittsburgh Building Performance Lab is to teach how to reduce energy consumption in homes and communities, while also improving comfort and safety. These skills are particularly important to updating and maintaining our existing housing stock, keeping more families in their homes, and providing more economic stability for communities.  

Located at the 7800 Susquehanna Street complex in Homewood, developed and managed by Bridgeway Capital,  the facility provides in-demand skills and certifications for both residential renovations and new home construction careers.

The partnership between Pittsburgh Gateways and Penn College serves as a:

  • training facility, to deliver the full slate of Penn College Workforce Development building science training programs to current & future workers; the Home Energy Professional (HEP) program teaches individuals how to perform energy audits and product installation techniques to reduce energy bills, while remediating health and safety issues like mold, lead paint and carbon monoxide.
  • recruitment resource, providing outreach to students and adults of all ages considering career paths in the residential building industry.
  • business incubation hub, for contractors and partners seeking to expand their capacity through apprenticeship-style opportunities and business development support.
  • community engagement platform, informing community members of the opportunities to improve the health, safety and efficiency of their homes.

Penn College at Pittsburgh develops skilled workers and quality contractors to serve all residential construction projects in our region, with a particular focus on communities where the need to reduce energy burden and improve the housing stock is in high demand.

To maximize our impact through this partnership, Pittsburgh Gateways seeks to collaborate with a wide audience of organizations in the ecosystem related to this work, such as:

  • Career & Technical Education (CTE) programs
  • Contractors, Vendors, Designers, Auditors 
  • Community Groups & Community Based Organizations
  • Affordable Housing providers
  • Building Science, Building Performance, Healthy Homes professionals
  • Small Business Development services
  • Emerging Technologies in Housing Innovation

As co-developer, Pittsburgh Gateways has an onsite presence to welcome all visitors, trainees, community members and partners. For more information, or to get involved, contact our Director of Building Performance Programs, Karen Benner, here.

Read about the Penn College Open House here. 

Visit the Penn College Workforce Development Building Performance website here.