Green Jobs: US Department of Labor Employment and Training

AdministrationCredit to Aaron Fichtner, Heldrich Center and

Mathew Bruce, Boston Pic for contributing to the creation of these slides

September 2012

Employment and Training Administration

To contribute to the more efficient functioning of the U.S. labor market by providing high quality job training, employment, labor market information, and income maintenance services primarily through state and local workforce development systems.

Past DOL/ETA Green Jobs FundingAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act

(ARRA)• Nation wide there were $500 Million dollars

awarded in Green Jobs Grants – Types:State Labor Market Information ImprovementCapacity BuildingState Energy Sector Partnership and TrainingPathways out of PovertyEnergy Training Partnership

Recovery Act Green Jobs Grants Awarded in Massachusetts

• MA received $8,728,067 Directly• MA shared indirectly in an additional

$8,993,845• For list of grants and grant summaries:

www.doleta.gov/grants

Past Green Jobs Funding

• DOL/ETA’s 2010 Budget through the Workforce Investment Act included $40 Million Dollars for Green Innovation Fund Grants

- Grants Awarded• DOL/ETA's 2011 Budget requested $85 Million

for the Green Innovation Fund - Zeroed out

Green Innovation Grants 2010Access Green Training and Career Pathways including:• enhanced pre-apprenticeship and Registered Apprenticeship

programs in green industry sectors and occupations• competitive grants for green career pathways that include a

focus on developing education opportunities in green industry sectors and occupations; and

• incentivizing innovative partnerships that effectively connect community-based organizations in underserved communities with the workforce investment system to better serve targeted populations through a new focus on career advancement in green industry sectors.

Green Innovation Grant Awarded in Massachusetts

• Jobs for the Future, Inc. - $8,000,000 - covering Boston, Mass.; Chicago, Ill.; Detroit,

Mich.; Milwaukee, Wis.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Seattle, Wash; and Washington, D.C.

• Metro North Regional Employment Board - $3,000,000

• For complete list of grants and grant summaries: www.doleta.gov/grants

Green Job Myths

New

Abundant

Easy To Get

Green Jobs Are . . .

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What are “Green Jobs”?

• No standard definition

• Most are not new jobs, but traditional jobs with a “green” focus

A Better Question: Which Green Jobs Are Likely to Have Job Openings?

– Energy sectors have high growth potential

Sectors of Green Energy Efficiency/

Conservation• Residential Weatherization• Commercial and Industrial

Retrofits

Renewable/Sustainable Energy

• Renewable: Solar, Wind, Biomass, Biofuel, Geothermal

• Sustainable: Hydrogen, Nuclear, Co-Generation

Energy Efficiency Means Buildings

TYPES OF WORK• Systems – heating, plumbing, electrical, lighting• Auditing• Insulating (air sealing)

TYPES OF BUILDINGS• Commercial• Institutional • Multi-Family Residential• Non-Multi-Family Residential

What Are the Actual Jobs?Job Type Description Requirements Approx. WageAuditor Lead Home Energy Audit,

often double as crew chiefSpecific Experience Required-Certification Preferred

$20-25 plus benefits

Installer Air sealing and Insulation Installation

General experience preferred

$15 – 18 plus benefits

HVAC Heating system repairs and replacements

HVAC Certification $18-30plus benefits

Support Customer Service and Sales Office Support and Administration

Same as general workforce depending on position

Green CertificationsCertification Agency Notes

Building Performance Institute (BPI)

Building Performance

Institute

Several different types and levelsPreferred in auditing fieldLeading candidate for standard certification in MA

Leadership in Energy and

Environmental Design (LEED)

United States Green Building

Council (USGBC)

More related to commercial constructionRequired in certain City developments (green zoning)

Home Energy Rater (HERS Rater)

Residential Energy Services

Network (RESNET)

Ally/competitor to BPIProfessional organization with a developed rating system

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Residential EE

Commercial EE, Solar projects, R&D

Large Wind Projects

First Wave

Second Wave

Third Wave

When Will The Jobs Be Here?

• Because green jobs are traditional jobs, employers care first about traditional job skills (electrician, insulator, carpenter, engineer)

• A green credential is sometimes, but not always, required

• Multiple competing green credentials exist – reflects the state of standards-setting in EE and RE industries.

• Employers and, increasingly, government agencies, set standards for credentials, which can vary from region to region.

What Skills and Credentials are Important for Green Jobs

Step 1: Understand Local Labor Market Demand

KEY QUESTIONS

• What green jobs are available now?

• Which jobs do employers and energy policy officials expect to grow most & when?

• Which credentials are sought by employers and government funders

• Are there opportunities to provide custom pre-employment training for local employers?

Helping Jobseekers Find High Quality Green Job Training

INFORMATION SOURCES

• Labor Market Information Data (limited)

• Employer surveys

• Discussions with employers and government officials

Step 2: Ask Questions of Training & Education Providers

Helping Jobseekers Find High Quality Green Job Training

State policymakers, job counselors, and jobseekers should ask key questions of providers:

Program Quality & Labor Market Relevance• What job(s) will training prepare students to fill? What credential is offered?

• Is there evidence of demand for these jobs? For the credential?

• Does the program have formal partnerships with employers to improve or guarantee placement after training?

• Will this course be sufficient to qualify participants for jobs? Does it prepare workers for a career ladder? Is it connected to higher level training, if applicable?

• What is the employment rate of those who complete the course? Are they working in this field?

• Does the credential align with existing or planned credential requirements imposed by government funding agencies?

Step 2: Ask Questions of Training & Education Providers (Cont’d)

Helping Jobseekers Find High Quality Green Job Training

State policymakers, job counselors, and jobseekers should ask key questions of providers:

Training Provider Quality

• Is the provider licensed and accredited in your state? (If not on the ETPL)

• Is the provider accredited or approved by the credential developer to teach the course (Not a requirement for good training, but provides better assurances)

• Does the provider have a history of offering programs that result in high placement rates ?

Recommendations for Workforce Professionals

Consider stricter standards for funding training providers

Require better inventories of existing training programs to address gaps

Look for high quality partnerships with employers that include hiring agreements and access to career ladders/lattices.

Build tools that provide program funders, counselors, and jobseekers with better information on demand as it evolves (continuous feedback)

Key Conclusions

• Green Jobs are traditional Jobs with a green focus – sometimes, but not always,

they require a green layer of knowledge and skill

• For the near to mid-term future, much green job creation will be tied to public spending and will be focused in RE and EE sectors.

• New interest in and funding for green training has caused a boom in training development

• Lack of regulation is leading to wide variation in program and provider quality

• Job counselors and job seekers need better information on the connections between training and job availability to make informed choices.

Labor Market Information (LMI) Improvement Grant

• Approximately $49 million now has been awarded through 30 grants involving 45 states.

• The State Labor Market Information (LMI) Improvement grant program is supporting the research and analysis of labor market data to assess economic activity in energy efficiency and renewable energy industries and identify occupations within those industries.

• The grants invest in state and consortium models designed to collect, analyze, and disseminate labor market information, and enhance the labor exchange infrastructure for careers within energy efficiency and renewable energy industries.

• State Workforce Agencies will use this workforce and labor market information and data as the foundation on which to build and implement effective workforce development strategies.

• Multiple State Workforce Agencies partnering as a consortium will use this program to conduct research that may potentially have a regional, multi-State, or national impact.

6 State LMI Consortia Awards

Project Summary: http://greenjobs.workforce3one.org/

24 Individual State LMI Awards

Project Summary: http://greenjobs.workforce3one.org/

$7.6M Investment in Region 11. “Making Green Real” Consortium Grant

– 8 States, Region 1 - $3.9M– Designed to put a solid research framework around the discussion of the green economy

and allow all the customers who will employ, train, and work in the field to make decisions based on solid information.

– The project aims to create a region-wide information distribution web site, clear definitions of green occupations and green industries, auto-code jobs and firms based on green definitions, estimate green jobs and industries produced quarterly, project 6 to 12 month vacancies covering green and non-green jobs, expand information based on real time analysis. In addition, a green employer list with green tags will be applied to the InfoUSA employer database.

2. New York Department of Labor – $1.1M grant proposes to draw on labor market research focused in the areas of

renewable energy, energy efficiency and clean technology industries to prepare for the successful implementation of New York’s 2009 State Energy Plan.

3. New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development– $1.2M grant to provide information and tools to job seekers to identify pathways to new

green careers and careers in emerging industries, identify high demand green and non-green jobs, and the skills required to attain these jobs.

4. Puerto Rico Department of Labor– $1.2M grant to develop a comprehensive labor market information system to identify

and enhance green jobs and industries.

Federal LMI Resources for Green Grantees

• Green Jobs Community of Practice http://greenjobs.workforce3one.org/

• Labor Market Information Improvement Grantee Community (by invitation)http://lmii.workforce3one.org/

• Greening the World of Work: Implications for O*NET SOC and New and Emerging Occupations

• Mid-Term Showcase in Washington DC September 14 through 16, 2010

• State LMI Improvement Grants Evaluation • ETA is in the final stages of developing the SOW,• ETA’s Chief Evaluation Officer has reviewed a draft SOW, and • ETA is sending the SOW to OMB for final approval before contracting.

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Additional Resources Green Jobs

USDOL Bureau of Labor Statistics Measuring Green Jobs: www.bls.gov/green/home.htm

Green Job Search: http://greenjobs.greenjobsearch.orgFunding Opportunities: www.grants.gov • Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA)Tool Kithttp://www.workforce3one.org/page/grants_toolkitDOL/ETA Website: www.doleta.govRecovery Website: www.recovery.govSource for workforce information and products:

www.workforce3one.org

Contact InfoRay LopezChief, Division of Demonstration GrantsOffice of Special Initiatives and

Demonstrations Grantslopez.raimundo@dol.gov 617/788-

0160

Trevor CaponRegion 1 Green Jobs Lead capon.trevor@dol.gov 617/788-0391