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"What a decade ago was merely an environmentalist’s daydream is now slowly becoming reality: Thinking green is becoming mainstream."
This is the lead line to an article, "Training a GREEN Workforce,"published in T+D Magazine in September 2007. Advance two years and the word "slowly" needs some adjustment!
While former Vice President Al Gore brought green initiatives to life with his public awareness campaign in 2004, it’s the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed into legislation in February 2009 by the Obama administration that may truly catapult green initiatives and greener lifestyles in offices and homes nationwide.
ASTD wants you to be in the know about these fast-moving green initiatives. We present to you Green T — information about training green! Let’s get started!
About Green-Collar Jobs
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act included $750 million for a competitive grant program under the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to support worker training in high growth
and emerging industries. The law required that $500 million be used to support projects to train workers for jobs in the energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors. With nearly 135 million people going to work in the U.S. everyday, funding and commitment to this extent could truly impact the way the U.S. works and approaches fields like renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and green building. And, what about the people who are not working - the 8% unemployed in the U.S? These green-collar initiatives could put currently unemployed workers into jobs that will not only revitalize the middle class but also make the economy "greener." So what is the key to turning blue-collar jobs into the green-collar jobs of the future: Training!
So what do you need to know? Green For All, a national organization dedicated to building an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty, offers some green-collar job statistics. The following data points are relevant to training:
There’s already a huge green economy developing. In 2006 renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies generated 8.5 million new jobs, nearly $970 billion in revenue, and more than $100 billion in industry profits.
 According to the National Renewable Energy Lab, the major barriers to a more rapid adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency in America are insufficient skills and training.
In December 2007, President Bush signed the Green Jobs Act to train workers for green collar jobs. It authorizes $125 million for workforce training programs targeted to veterans, displaced workers, at-risk youth, and families in extreme poverty. It will train people for jobs like installing solar panels and weatherization.
About Training Greener
Things that you may be doing right now in your own homes to live greener may very well apply to how you design, deliver and manage training. Here are some tips for greening your training initiatives:
Explore the wonderful world of e-learning. When you need to train a dispersed group of individuals, consider e-learning as an alternative to in-person training which traditionally requires travel methods that pollute the environment.
Meet locally. Look for training session that are close to your office or find trainer who are local to your establishment for in-house meetings.
Use paperless alternatives. Consider e-books, thumb drives with training materials pre-loaded, mobile devices, and web-enabled training exercises. When paper is required, use vegetable inks, print on both sides, and choose recycled paper stock.
Save energy. Remind your trainers and your training participants to shut off lights, power down monitors, and reduce all temperature devices to lower setting when not in the room. |
Find Out More
Here are some resources for you to use to learn more about green-collar jobs and other topics mentioned on Green T:
Green for All is a national organization dedicated to building an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty.
Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration will be a key resource to the Administration’s “Green Jobs” initiative.
Greenpeace is the leading independent campaigning organization that uses peaceful direct action and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and to promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future.
ASTD press release
JOB AID - Lead the Green Evolution |