Jobs and Workforce Development in the Clean, Green, Energy Economy

1
Jobs and Workforce Development in the Clean,
Green, Energy Economy

• Presenter
• Dave Jackson
• US Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship

2
Green Jobs in Context

• Green jobs are defined as a family supporting,
  career track job that directly contributes to
  preserving or enhancing environmental
  quality. -- Van Jones, The Green Collar
  Economy
• Some jobs are greener than others.
• Estimates of new green jobs range from
  4 to 40 million and may be direct,
  indirect, or tangential.

3
Big PictureWhat is Driving Green?

• Save the Planet Environmental Reform
• Economic Recovery Job Creation
• Economic Competitiveness
• Energy Independence, Efficiency, and
  Security
• New Legislation/
• Eco-Equality/ Environmental Justice

4
Greener PathwaysA Report to Look At

• Focus on key clean energy sector
• Green-collar training in energy efficiency, wind
  power, and biofuels
• Case studies of industry workforce development
• Federal resources legislation
• Policy Principles for state green jobs
  initiatives
• Available at www.cows.org

5
Green Job Investment

• Building a competitive and equitable green
  economy
• Means investing in the backbone of Americas
  labor force
• Workers with more than high school, but less than
  a four-year degree.
• Few New Occupations
• A limited number of green-collar workers in
  just-invented jobs
• The new energy economy will be built and
  sustained by middle-skill workers in traditional
  occupations.
• Many skills of the greener future are closely
  related to the skills of today.
• Examples
• Electricians retrofitting buildings for energy
  efficiency
• Lab technicians ensuring quality control in
  ethanol plants
• Machinists crafting wind turbine components
• Technicians maintaining them
• This means middle-skill jobs in the clean energy
  future

6
What are Green-Collar Jobs?

• Looks a lot like jobs in traditional industries
• Largely middle-skill
• more than H.S., less than B.A. required
• The job creation potential is enormous
• Most clean energy jobs offer living wages and
  career pathways
• Many are difficult to offshore

7
Snapshot Jobs in Energy Efficiency

• The fastest, cheapest way for states to address
  global warming
• Reduce energy costs for their poorest citizens,
• Creates and sustains good jobs
• Primarily at residential retrofits, but also
  includes commercial/ industrial retrofits, green
  building, and green manufacturing

8
Key PointsEnergy Efficiency

• Jobs in energy efficiency retrofitting look a lot
  like traditional construction jobs.
• A good place to start greening career pathways in
  the building trades is through apprenticeship and
  related programs, some of which are currently
  constructing workable pathways out of poverty.

• Every 1 Million invested in efficiency retrofits
  generates eight to eleven on-site jobs. Job
  numbers rise if we include indirect economic
  effects.
• State and municipal retrofitting programs will
  need to be tied to regional training programs, as
  the construction and building trades face
  imminent shortages of skilled workers.

9
Examples ofEnergy Efficiency Jobs

• Moderate Term OJT
• Average Wage 10.24 18.45
• Construction laborers
• Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall
• Cement masons and concrete finishers
• Hazardous materials removal workers
• Long Term OJT
• Average Wage 10.48 24.42
• Sheet metal workers
• HVAC mechanics and installers
• Carpenters
• Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
• Electricians
• Boilermakers

• Jobs to Watch
• Energy and indoor air quality auditor
• Deconstruction worker
• HVAC operations and maintenance technician
• Systems technician
• Solar installer and technician

Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
10
Snapshot Jobs in Wind

• Rapid and high profile growth in the U.S. and
  abroad
• Its potential as an economic driver in both urban
  and rural areas,
• Its capacity for job creation in manufacturing as
  well as installation and operations.
• Component part manufacturing for wind turbines
  holds particular promise.

11
Key PointsWind Turbine Production Jobs

• Jobs in wind turbine production look a lot like
  traditional manufacturing jobs.
• To stabilize carbon emission levels, the U.S.
  needs to add 185,000 MW of renewable energy in
  ten years.

• Total employment in U.S. manufacturing is
  declining.
• Public and private investment in renewables can
  help connect the industrial base to a more
  sustainable future, thereby preserving domestic
  manufacturing jobs.
• The Renewable Energy Policy Project calculates
  wind powers share to be roughly 125,000 MW,
  which would support close to 400,000 domestic
  manufacturing jobs.

12
Examples ofWind Turbine Production Jobs

• Short Term OJT
• Average Wage 10.45 17.95
• Laborers and freight, stock, and movers
• Moderate Term OJT
• Average Wage 10.41 19.41
• CNC machine tool operators,
• Customer service representatives
• Cutting, punching, and press machine setters,
  operators, and tenders,
• Drilling and boring machine tool setters,
  operators, and tenders
• Maintenance and repair workers, general
• Production, planning, and expediting clerks
• Team assemblers
• Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers

• Long Term OJT
• Average Wage 14.74 24.95
• Machinists
• Jobs to Watch
• Wind energy technician
• Wind energy mechanic
• Windsmith

Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
13
Snapshot Jobs in Biofuels

• Mounting evidence currently not particularly
  good for either the environment or the job
  market.
• Yet the industry has taken root, is growing
  rapidly, and generates increasing policy interest
  and investment,
• Jobs in ethanol and biodiesel production.

14
Key PointsBioFuels Production Jobs

• Jobs in biofuels often look like traditional
  chemical mfg. jobs.
• Jobs in biodiesel and ethanol production pay
  decent wages, but offer few jobs
• Increasing the scale of production does not
  significantly increase employment.
• The job creation potential of biofuel refineries
  has been greatly exaggerated.
• Local ownership demonstrably boosts indirect
  economic impacts.

• Metal manufacturing jobs will likely be in demand
  as the biofuels industry matures.
• While no empirical studies yet exist on the
  nature and scale of the requisite supply chains,
  we do know that the biofuel infrastructure needs
  capital goodstanks, boilers, centrifuges, etc.
• As traditional shops step up to produce them,
  skilled labor will be in high demand.

15
Examples ofBioFuels Production Jobs

• Short Term OJT
• Average Wage 9.94 15.66
• Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks
• Laborers and freight, stock, and movers
• Moderate Term OJT
• Average Wage 11.80 33.97
• Chemical equipment operators and tenders
• Mixing and blending machine setters, operators,
  and tenders
• Sales representatives, wholesale and mfg.,
  technical and scientific products
• Separating, clarifying, precipitating, and still
  machine setters, operators, and tenders
• Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer

• Long Term OJT
• Average Wage 17.70 26.02
• Chemical plant and system operators
• Chemical technicians
• Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial
  and industrial equipment
• Jobs to Watch
• Ethanol plant technician
• Ethanol plant operator
• Ethanol maintenance mechanic
• Biodiesel laboratory tech.
• Biodiesel maintenance mechanic
• Biodiesel process control

Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
16
So Lets Start to Build Jobs in the Clean, Green,
Energy Economy

• Any Questions???