New Mexico Green Jobs Cabinet Report

New Mexico has released the Green Jobs Cabinet Report which identified five major goals necessary for maximizing the state’s green economy potential, including renewable energy, energy efficiency and green workforce education. The Governor also issued an executive order which directs state agencies to help meet these goals. For example, the Department of Workforce Solutions will be asked to convene a Green Industry Council to help establish curricula in the public education system, among other tasks. The governor has also announced the release of a Green Jobs Guidebook, which provides information on green careers, education requirements and opportunities as well as other resources for those seeking green economy jobs.

Mapping Green Career Pathways: Job Training Opportunities and Infrastructure

The Apollo Alliance and the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce have teamed up to identify components of Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin's workforce development infrastructure that can be better integrated and scaled up to help fill jobs in the clean energy sector. The reports, Mapping Green Career Pathways: Job Training Opportunities and Infrastructure, recommend strengthening existing training infrastructures to build workers’ skills to fill green-collar jobs that are being created in the construction and manufacturing sectors, which are projected to account for 55 percent of all new jobs in the emerging renewable energy and efficiency industries. According to the reports, many of the elements of a green training infrastructure already exist in each state, but there are still gaps along the green career pathway that must be filled through stronger, more integrated training programs.

New York State Small Business Task Force Report

This Report represents efforts of Task Force members who have worked to formulate recommendations that would have a substantive impact on small business growth and development in New York, including: increasing access to capital, implementing regulatory and administrative reforms, and improving work force training and technical assistance programs. The recommendations that impact workforce development include the following: Integrate Economic Development and Workforce Training Activities through a Sector-Based Strategy. This effort should build on the work of the National Governor’s Association Sector Academy, which is focusing on three industry clusters: green, advanced manufacturing and health care. Create and Expand a Layoff Aversion Program. The State Department of Labor (DOL) is in the process of creating Emergency Response Teams that will assist small businesses in distress with consulting on business turnaround, layoff aversion and Employee Stock Ownership Programs. The Task Force supports the initiation of this pilot program encourages statewide expansion as soon as possible. Increase On-the-Job Training Opportunities. The Task Force urges DOL to use its federal Workforce Investment Act funding to leverage greater local participation by providing matching support on a competitive basis for up to 50 On-the-Job Training (OJT) projects of between five and 10 workers each. The Task Force also supports DOL’s plan to enhance OJT by providing an additional incentive to businesses that hire the long-term unemployed. Improve Opportunities for Youth in Small Business. A portion of the Workforce Investment Act resources should be set aside to leverage local funding of creative youth/small business projects. A fund of $750,000, matched at the local level by a 2-1 ratio, could support 10 competitively selected projects linking youth to small business opportunities.

YouthBuild 2010 Series Greening Your YouthBuild

Highlights of effective green career, education and construction practices for YouthBuild programs.

Wind Turbine Manufacturing Competency Model

Clipper Windpower is a California-based wind turbine manufacturer and wind project developer. Using the ETA-sponsored Advanced Manufacturing Competency Model as a foundation, Clipper developed this framework of competencies for wind turbine manufacturing.

(Podcast) Weatherization 101: All You Ever Wanted to Know about the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP)

This Podcast offers a glimpse into the webinar moderated by Jennifer Troke. The actual purpose of the Webinar is to share information with the workforce system on the Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) as well as industry expertise on the technical and training aspects of weatherization including the process, types of tools, job types, and a training overview. Related Resources: Webinar Recording: http://www.workforce3one.org/view/3000922447271406122/info Presentation: http://www.workforce3one.org/view/2000921835174554697/info

(Presentation Slides Zip File) Greening the World of Work: Implications for O*NET SOC and New and Emerging Occupations

Green Jobs Innovation in Portland, Oregon

Portland's program, called Clean Energy Works Portland, creates a Recovery Act-funded revolving loan fund that will enable Portland homeowners to take out long-term, low-interest loans and repay them through small additions to their utility bills. Green for All has partnered with the City of Portland to implement an innovative green jobs program that aims to retrofit 100,000 homes for energy efficiency while creating new green jobs and economic opportunities for low-income residents of the city. Grantee: Portland YouthBuilders (PYB) Location of Grant Activities: Oregon Amount: $100,000 Key Partnerships: Oregon Employment Department, Southeast Works OneStop Career Center, Portland Community College, the Oregon Institute of Technology, and the Oregon Employer Workforce Training Fund Project Description: Portland Youth Builders (PYB) will expand its current greenjobs training program to prepare low-income youth for entry-level obs and advanced training in the following energy efficient and renewable energy industries: energy efficient construction, weatherization, solar and wind energy, sustainable agriculture, and residential and commercial retrofitting. Project Outcomes: Key modifications will be made to the PYB programs including the development of a weatherization pathway, the development of a green internship program, the enhancement of existing green curriculum based on feedback from the Energy Trust of Oregon, the establishment of key partnerships with PostSecondary institutions and local green employers, and the construction of PYBbuilt Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified homes. Contact: Jill Walters Portland YouthBuilders 4816 SE 92 nd Avenue Portland, OR 97266

State Policy Resources for Supporting Adults’ Postsecondary Success

In early November 2009, the National College Transition Network hosted the Policy Forum “Shifting Adult Education Policies to Support Postsecondary Success.” The Forum explored policy changes being pursued by six Midwestern states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin) to create pathways to postsecondary education and family-sustaining careers (“middle-skill” and high-skill occupations) for low-income working adults. These states are part of the Joyce Foundation’s “Shifting Gears” initiative, which was launched in 2006 to promote regional economic growth by improving the education and skills training of the workforce. Shifting Gears grew out of the recognition that many adults lack the skills and postsecondary credentials necessary to obtain the new jobs emerging in the wake of the decline of traditional Midwestern industrial and manufacturing sectors. The initiative is helping these states implement significant, systemic policy changes to institutionalize innovation in adult education, workforce development, and postsecondary education programs and to strengthen the connections among these various programs. Click here for other related resources:

Chicagoland Green Collar Jobs Initiative: Building a Green Collar Workforce in Chicagoland

This report describes the policy and economic environment today and serves as a tool for decision making about the future of the green collar economy in the Chicagoland region. It is designed to provide insight into the opportunities to build a strong green collar economy in the region.

Workforce Information Council's Green Jobs Study Group Releases "Measurement and Analysis of Employment in the Green Economy"

The Workforce Information Council's Green Jobs Study Group has just released "Measurement and Analysis of Employment in the Green Economy" The Workforce Information Council is a Federal-State group established under the Workforce Investment Act that works together to plan, guide, and oversee the nationwide workforce information system. Given the growing interest in and need for information about green jobs, the Workforce Information Council (WIC) chartered the Green Jobs Study Group in March 2009 to address three goals: Define green jobs and identify what needs to be measured related to green jobs; Develop alternative methods of measuring green jobs; and Develop an action plan. The purpose of this report is to provide information to the WIC, LMI units, and other interested parties on working definitions and methods to estimate and analyze green job employment.

NGA Center for Best Practices Offers State-by-State Green Economy Profiles

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) commissioned Collaborative Economics Inc. (CEI) to prepare a profile of each state’s "green" economy. The profiles provide a comprehensive picture of each state’s existing assets across multiple green sectors and offer a foundation for identifying future green growth areas and related needs. Profiles discuss areas such as green business activity, employment concentration, technology innovation, and sector information.

New York City Green Collar Jobs Roadmap

The Center for American progress has released a new resource entitled “New York City Green Collar Jobs Roadmap.” The Roadmap is a product of the Green Collar Jobs Roundtable, which was convened by Urban Agenda. The Roundtable was a participatory effort of over 170 job-training organizations, community-based programs, businesses, and labor unions that compiled data on green jobs and workforce development best practices while developing more than 30 recommendations for achieving the shared vision of a more sustainable, prosperous, and just New York City. The Roadmap includes recommendations related to green economic development, talent engagement and development, job creation, employer engagement, and partner collaboration.

San Diego Renewable Energy Workforce Development Initiatives

The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) awarded six Innovation Awards at its annual meeting in October 2009. San Diego Miramar College was recognized in the workforce development category for two if its innovative “green energy” faculty development programs for secondary and postsecondary instructors. Please also note that the Department of Energy has recently announced investments in solar energy technologies, including the establishment of an “Installer Instructor Training network (to promote) high-quality training in the installation of solar technologies.” The California Community Colleges Board of Governors was one of the nine recipients. Click here, for the announcement and a synopsis of the activities to be undertaken by each educational “node” of the network.

2009 Excellence in Tech-Based Economic Development Award Winners

The State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI) recently announced the winners of its 2009 Excellence in Tech-Based Economic Development (TBED) Award. The award recognizes outstanding achievements in TBED emphasizing impact, strategic value, and replicability.

Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership Mobile Outreach Skills Training Program

The Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) operates an innovative accelerated job creation and job training program called Mobile Outreach Skills Training, or MOST. The MOST program is a two-week, intensive job training and placement program that “fast-tracks” Florida’s most-in-need job seekers into skilled, entry-level positions in the aerospace, biotechnology, electronics, plastics, pharmaceuticals, precision metal, construction, energy efficiency/conservation, and renewable energy manufacturing sectors. Successful trainees are awarded a Lean to Green Institute Sustainable Manufacturing Certificate, helping them become an integral part of their employers’ green initiatives.

New Publication on Career Pathway Models and Programs

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW) and the National Career Pathways Network (NCPN) have released a joint publication, Thriving in Challenging Times: Connecting Education to Economic Development Through Career Pathways. This resource highlights successful career pathway models that create relevant, challenging learning environments for students and are designed to increase American employers' access to highly-skilled, qualified workers. Thriving in Challenging Times profiles 17 local and two statewide career pathways programs in multiple industry sectors, documenting the challenges, strategies, results, and business engagement each partnership has experienced.

Opportunities for Rural Community and Economic Development

The Rural Sociological Society’s latest Rural Realities publication, “Homegrown Responses to Economic Uncertainty in Rural America,” explores three interconnected "homegrown" approaches for reinvigorating and growing struggling rural economies, which have been particularly hard-hit by the economic recession. The paper also offers several policy and strategic options for fostering homegrown rural development efforts. Related resources: Link to "Innovation in Action" article:http://www.workforce3one.org/view/3000929241996925905 Economic Gardening http://groups.google.com/group/econ-dev?msg=subscribe&hl=en The Farm Act of 2008 established the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program. This program will provide technical and financial assistance in the form of loans and grants to qualified Microenterprise Development Organizations (MDOs) to support microentrepreneurs in the development and ongoing success of rural microenterprises. An MDO is an organization that provides access to capital and business-based training services to very small (micro) businesses. A microentrepreneur is an owner and operator, or prospective owner and operator, of a rural business with not more than 10 full-time equivalent employees who is unable to obtain sufficient training, technical assistance, or credit. USDA’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service today has published a proposed rule in support of the implementation of this program to meet the goals and requirements of the Act. Comments are due by November 23, 2009. The October 7, 2009 FEDERAL REGISTER" contains the proposed rule.

Stories and photos from Community Services Consortium in Oregon

This document highlights two successful Recovery Act funded initiatives from Community Services Consortium in Oregon. The Employment and Training Administration has also compiled a ten-part series of “snapshots” examining the innovative features and attributes of a number of summer youth programs across the United States.

NYSDOL Awards Grants to Connect Emerging and Transitional Workers to In-Demand Careers

The New York State Department of Labor has announced the award of more than $2 million in stimulus funding for a new Emerging and Transitional Worker Grant program. The grants, awarded in the Finger Lakes and Central New York regions, are part of a larger, $15 million statewide stimulus investment to give those with little or no connection to the workforce the skills necessary to successfully obtain employment and advance in their careers.