Building Effective Green Energy Programs in Community Colleges

Summary

In this paper, Workforce Strategy Center (WSC) examines how community colleges are leading the field in green energy education by developing green workforce development programs geared toward low-income and low-skilled adults.  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding for training anticipates widely forecasted growth in green jobs; Booz Allen Hamilton, a leading government consulting firm, reports that green building will support as many as 7.9 million U.S. jobs between 2009 and 2013. Community colleges have regional credibility and are well positioned through their existing connections to employers to play a pivotal role in establishing career pathways in green energy sectors for low-income students.  However, while the green industry is growing, there are a series of issues that community colleges are grappling with in developing these programs and serving a low-skilled population. These issues include: (1) employment demand for green jobs is difficult to forecast; (2) community colleges are challenged to prepare low-income individuals who have limited basic and/or technical skill levels for higher-skilled positions demanded in this field; (3) ARRA green energy training funds target disadvantaged populations and many green energy programs at community colleges cater to higher-skilled students; (4) green energy is an emerging industry that is still defining itself and the industry’s standards; and (5) budget cuts are causing destabilizing competition among education institutions participating in regional partnerships. WSC examines these issues in depth and shares approaches taken by community colleges at the forefront of green energy workforce education and training to combat them.  The report highlights eight leading colleges and one consortium of colleges focused on educating individuals for careers in renewable energy and energy efficiency.  These colleges include:

As noted by the authors, “The speed and scale of the green energy initiatives, along with the newness and uncertainties of the industry itself, are placing community colleges in the position of serving as change agents—together with government and industry.”  This report aims to equip community colleges with strategies to take on that that challenge.

Citation

Bozell, M.R.& Liston, C.D. (2010). Building Effective Green Energy Programs in Community Colleges. Workforce Strategy Center.

Retrieved From

http://www.workforcestrategy.org/images/pdfs/publications/green_energy_programs_2010-05.pdf