Sign Me Up for the New Economy: Getting Green Jobs 101

By Michelle Mocarski

Cartoon by Ann Cleaves

Economic downturn. Increased unemployment. Global warming. There's a lot of bad news, but could there be a silver lining? There does seem to be an upside, but instead of silver, it's green. The new Green Economy, with its green Jobs, offers an alternative to environmentally damaging policies and industries and that will help generate millions of jobs in the renewable energy field, helping to strengthen our debilitated economy and to fight global warming at the same time.

New job potential seems promising, offering a wide range of green opportunities with salaries that vary from $10-$15/hour to over $40/hour, for all types of individuals, including high school grads and apprentices. There is a vast array of options, for example: installing solar panels, designing and building energy efficient houses and businesses, producing biofuel, geothermal and wind energy, hydroelectric power, designing and constructing hybrid cars and developing new technologies to create more clean energy.

There are partnerships among green employers, educational institutions, state government and job training programs to help prepare individuals with employment barriers to enter those markets. In LA, for instance, there are the Green Ambassadors (www.greenambassadors.org), which offers training for the youth, and the LA Infrastructure and Sustainability Jobs Collaborative (www.lattc.edu/dept/lattc/REDI/Utility.html), that offers training and connects low-income population to jobs with career paths in the energy-utility industry. Also in LA, the Scope and the Los Angeles Apollo Alliance (www.scopela.org) is working on developing a Green Career Ladder Training Program to train 50 inner-city residents and place graduates in union apprenticeship and green jobs.

More information on state-approved training and paid apprenticeship programs offered by unions, the California federal government and large public companies can be found at www.dir.ca.gov/apprenticeship.html.

In addition to unions and non-profit organizations, the federal and state governments also offer training and placement services to help California workers find green jobs, such as East LA Skills Center (www.elasc.adultinstruction.org), which is a full employment preparation and training center operated by the LA Unified School District; still for young adults the government offers the Los Angeles Conservation Corps (www.lacorps.org/conservation.html), that employs young people to provide conservation services for government agencies and private contract sponsors all over the Greater LA area, and the United States Department of Labor - Job Corps (www.jobcorps.dol.gov/centers/CA.htm), that offers free education, job-training and paid apprenticeship in multiple career types. Adults can find help at the California Employment Development Department, where they have the Workforce Service Offers (www.edd.ca.gov/Jobs_and_Training/Workforce_Services_Offices) and the One-Stop Career Centers (www.edd.ca.gov/Jobs_and_Training/pubs/osfile.pdf), where the job seekers can find in-person assistance, regarding job placement, training opportunities and education.

An invaluable resource is the downloadable Green Jobs Guide, at http://www.greenforall.org/resources/green-jobs-guidebook. This guide lists more than 200 green jobs, information and websites for job training and placement programs, a list of apprenticeship programs, and interview tips.