Posts Tagged ‘green jobs’

Institute Report Out: Postsecondary and Industry Offer Perspective on Developing a Program of Study

Monday, June 28th, 2010

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On July 15th, the National Career Clusters Institute presented a panel of postsecondary and industry representatives as part of the Green-Focused Program of Study Series. In order to develop an effective program of study, secondary, postsecondary and industry have to collaborate. These panelists are from exemplary teams who are working on the development of a program of study through the Green-Focused Program of Study Technical Assistance Academy grant. During this session, they responded to attendees questions and offered their insights.

Todd Sanders:  Instructor – Mechanical Engineering, Portland Community College, Ohio

John Steiner: Curriculum Specialist: Allied Health and Sciences, Salem Community College, New Jersey

Jerrold Hutton: Dean, Hocking College Energy Institute, Ohio

Krisann Rehbein: Manager of Community Partnerships, Chicago Architecture Foundation, Illinois

Q&A with Postsecondary:

How do we get components from postsecondary programs into secondary programs?

Do you have any tips about working on dual credit?

Classes often close out quickly at community colleges. How can we get more high school students into community college classes?

Q&A with Industry:

How do we engage industry more with internships and apprenticeships?

Industry moves so fast, how can education keep up?

Have industry advisory committees or national organizations played a critical role?

By admin in Career Clusters®, News
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Institute Report Out: Taking on the Necessary Challenges of Developing a Model Program of Study

Friday, June 25th, 2010

ECO iconTeam representatives from Illinois, New Jersey, Georgia, Oregon and Ohio came together at the Career Clusters Institute last week to share how they met challenges to developing a green-focused program of study. As winners of the Green-Focused Program of Study Technical Assistance Academy, they are pioneers in this endeavor and offer a unique learning opportunity to all who work within an established program of study or are in the process of developing one. Through the challenges they have faced so far, the challenges they anticipate in the future and what they might have done differently, you can find insights into how to take on what is most difficult in developing a model program of study.

Faced Challenges:

Anticipated Challenges:

What would you have done differently?

By admin in Career Clusters®, News
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Institute Report Out: Green-Focused Program of Study Series Shares Successes and Challenges to Developing a Model Program of Study

Friday, June 18th, 2010

The 8th Annual Career Clusters Institute showcased a special series this past week: the Green-Focused Program of Study Technical Assistance Academy. One year ago, fives states were awarded technical assistance to develop a model program of study with a “green” focus. Team representatives from Illinois, New Jersey, Georgia, Oregon and Ohio convened in Denver to share their story with Institute attendees.

Each state had an opportunity to report out individually, as well as participate in two panels: one that focused specifically on the postsecondary and industry perspective and another that particularly addressed the barriers and challenges to developing a program of study.

Although these five states differ in their education systems and in their “green” focus (architecture and construction versus energy, for example), they share similar struggles. Next week we will share a more in-depth look at challenges raised by the teams at the Institute, including the following:

By admin in Career Clusters®
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Report: Apprenticeship Programs Vital to Train Workforce for Green Industry

Friday, June 4th, 2010

The green industry is projected to offer the hottest growing jobs in our nation, but a recent report warns that more needs to be explored in how workforce training programs, particularly apprenticeships, can quickly adapt to train workers for the field.

Last week, Workforce3 One hosted a webinar that addressed this question, focusing particularly on the role of apprenticeship in preparing the future workforce in today’s green climate. The Office of Apprenticeship’s recently issued report titled, The Greening of Registered Apprenticeship: An Environmental Scan of the Impact of Green Jobs on Registered Apprenticeship and Implications for Workforce Development.  The report shares the current state of registered apprenticeship as it prepares workers for green careers. The webinar shared an overview of the findings and specifically addressed the concern of modifying apprenticeship to reflect evolving green technologies.

While green is making its mark on industry, education and training must also keep up. The webinar exemplified apprenticeship as the primary training vehicle to provide seamless transitions from school to work, although they expressed a need for stronger linkages between pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship programs. Apprenticeship is a vital link in the pathway from education and training to jobs with growth opportunities like those in the green industry.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration’s (ETA) Office of Apprenticeship (OA) met, during March and April of 2009, with 14 stakeholders representing critical industries to gather information. The critical industries most like to be impacted by green, according to the report, are:ExamplesCurriculum

They determined two common findings of green’s impact on industry:

  1. Green is cutting edge. As new processes are continuously developed, green will be at the forefront and industry must continue to adapt.
  2. Green demands growth in existing occupations, not the establishing of new occupations.

If apprenticeship is not part of the discussions on how to update training programs to reflect the advancement of thegreen industry, students who try to enter the green industry without any experience or credentials will likely find themselves unprepared, according to the report Any evolutions in industry must also be reflected in education. Apprenticeship is the ideal stage because it is it cultivates job specific training and places students in real-world situations.

In order to meet the challenges of today’s economy and embrace green as it leads the way in industry, strategic partnerships and collaboration are also necessary. National organizations and federal agencies, research and development hubs at universities, advocacy groups and community based organizations are all resources that must work together to provide a trained workforce for industries that are constantly evolving.

By admin in News, Publications, Research, Uncategorized
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Obama Administration Sees Crucial Role for Manufacturing Sector

Monday, April 5th, 2010

Last week, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner visited the Allegheny Technologies Inc.(ATI)  metals factory in Pittsburgh, PA to highlight the strength of the U.S. manufacturing industry.  “This is a sector that will play a critical role in helping to spur our economic recovery and contribute to our long-term prosperity,” Geithner said. The visit also included meetings with representatives of United Steelworkers and U.S. Steel. ATI produces titanium, zirconium and stainless steel for aircraft frames, jet engines, chemical plants and other industrial uses.

On Friday, President Obama visited Celgard, Inc. in Charlotte, NC, a manufacturing company that is using $50 million in Recovery Act  funding for investments in clean energy. The President stated, “This investment is expected to create nearly 300 jobs for this company, more than a thousand jobs for your contractors and suppliers — and these are all jobs helping America build the batteries that will power cleaner and more efficient cars and trucks.  And through investments like this one across the country, we’re already seeing an incredible transformation.” You can read his full remarks here.

By admin in Public Policy
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Obama Visits Georgia Technical College to Unveil $6 Billion Energy-Saving Proposal

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

President Barack Obama visited Savannah Technical College in Savannah, Georgia today where he toured the college and spoke to students participating in the Savannah YouthBuild program, which puts at-risk students through a combined GED/construction program. After the tour, the president announced a $6 billion proposal to help retrofit homes to save energy. The goal of the plan is to reduce energy usage by at least 20 percent.

Under the “Home Star” plan, homeowners would receive rebates of $1,000 or more to upgrade windows, doors heating, air conditioning, roofing and other household features. White House officials said that the administration hopes 2 million to 3 million homes will be retrofitted under the proposal. The proposal could potentially create thousands of jobs for unemployed workers hit hard by the recession. Obama wants the program included in a jobs package being drafted by Congress.

By admin in Public Policy
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Differences in Green Jobs Can Help Guide Green Education

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

Business, industry and education are all influenced by the “green” concept. Although it is one of the hot buttons now, it is not a passing fad we can choose to ignore. Environmental awareness is no longer considered a luxury, it is now demanded in the workplace and we are beginning to cultivate it in our education institutions. Many existing CTE programs have opportunities to incorporate “green” concepts, like sustainability and alternative energy, into the classroom. However, before launching green-focused CTE courses or programs, it is important to obtain a clear understanding of the green industry and the way it is influencing workforce demand. The CTE community in particular must also see from this perspective in order to develop relevant and effective curriculum and programming.  

O*NET, Occupational Network Database, has done significant research on green occupations by delving into the nuances and clarifying similarities and differences to allow for straightforward yet detailed categorization of these green occupations. They began by defining the “green” economy as: economic activity related to reducing the use of fossil fuels, decreasing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, increasing the efficiency of energy usage, recycling materials, and developing and adopting renewable sources of energy. This definition focused their research and led them to discover that “green” influences the world of work in predominantly three different ways, identified as follows. 

Green Increased Demand Occupations: these occupations may have experienced a small change in work context, but the task has not changed. The change is the increase in demand. 

– Example occupations: geological and petroleum technicians, locomotive engineers, architectural drafters, chemists, natural science managers, and agricultural inspectors.

Green Enhances Skills Occupations: the core purpose of these occupations remains the same, but skills and worker requirements have increased and possibly require additional credentials.

– Example occupations: power plant operators, electrical engineers, and heating and AC. 

Green New and Emerging Occupations: these occupations are new or born from existing occupations. They have unique work and worker requirements.

– Example occupations: wind turbine or farm engineers, biofuels plant operators, and solar power plant technicians. 

 

O*NET’s research has led to the development of an online tool to search the green occupations they have identified, which are helpfully categorized according to occupation, sector and what kind of “green” the occupation is. It is easy to use, just head to their homepage and click on the “green occupations” icon and start searching, it is that simple.  

By admin in Research
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Green Definition: Center for American Progress

Monday, December 14th, 2009

The Center for American Progress (CAP) is a policy think tank that covers issues from education to national security to the economy.

In their Green Jobs Primer memo released earlier this year, CAP defines green jobs as those that “enhance environmental quality, build a vibrant clean energy economy, and help to expand the American middle class.”  According to CAP, rather than creating a new “green” sector, green elements will be incorporated into existing jobs and industries.  The primer goes on to say that green jobs are local jobs that are difficult to outsource.

What’s more, green jobs span across pay levels – from lower wage jobs to the highest paid jobs.  These jobs can also “provide ladders into the middle class for lower-skilled workers if career advancement and workforce training opportunities are integrated into our larger economic development strategies.”  This is precisely what CTE does: through its education and workforce training opportunities, CTE gives individuals the skills they need to move up the economic ladder into well-paying, secure jobs.

By admin in Public Policy
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Green Definition: The United Nations

Friday, December 4th, 2009

In 1983 the United Nations convened to the World Commission on Environment and Development, also known as the Brundtland Commission, in response to environmental problems that were negatively impacting economic and social development.  This resulted in the most widely quoted definition of sustainability and sustainable development to date: “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

More recently, the United Nations Environment Programme defined green jobs as “work in agricultural, manufacturing, research and development (R&D), administrative, and service activities that contribute(s) substantially to preserving or restoring environmental quality. Specifically, but not exclusively, this includes jobs that help to protect ecosystems and biodiversity; reduce energy, materials, and water consumption through high efficiency strategies; de-carbonize the economy; and minimize or altogether avoid generation of all forms of waste and pollution.”

The U.N.’s more broad definition from 25 years ago seems to present a guiding framework for sustainability that emphasizes our impact on the future, while the more recent definition of green jobs looks more specifically at the current industries and issues that affect sustainability today.  It is easy to see where CTE fits into the Environment Programme’s definition — agriculture, manufacturing, protecting ecosystems and biodiversity, and energy efficiency.  These are all areas where CTE training and industry have evolved to incorporate sustainability principles or to create new jobs.

By admin in Public Policy
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Green Definition: Apollo Alliance

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

The Apollo Alliance is a coalition of labor, business, environmental, and community leaders whose mission is to spur a clean energy revolution in order to create millions of high-quality, green-collar jobs.

Paul Angelides, chair of the Apollo Alliance, defines green-collar job in this way:  “It has to pay decent wages and benefits that can support a family.  It has to be part of a real career path, with upward mobility.  And it needs to reduce waste and pollution and benefit the environment.”

This definition includes many of the areas that Perkins focuses on.  Perkins IV requires states to prepare students for employment in high demand, high wage, and high skill careers that are in, or lead to careers in, emerging fields.  We can all agree that “green” is the new and emerging field of the moment;  and the Apollo Alliance’s requirement that these jobs pay decent wages and be family supporting may satisfy the high wage component of Perkins.

Their inclusion of a “career path” also fits in nicely with CTE’s efforts in career pathways and the career cluster framework.  It is important that individuals have clear direction as they acquire skills and knowledge, gain employment, and move up in the green industry, as in any industry.

By admin in Public Policy
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