GREEN COLLAR WORKERS AND OTHER MYTHICAL CREATURES

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GREEN COLLAR WORKERSANDOTHER MYTHICAL CREATURES
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Common Data Requests

• Descriptive statistics How many green collar
  workers are currently employed by location and
  type?
• Forecasts
• What will be the future employment demand?
• What KSAs will green job-seekers need?
• How many are in the training pipeline?
• What skills gaps loom on the horizon?
• Will an insufficient supply of workers with
  appropriate KSAs thwart policy goals and
  objectives?
• How much will green workforce development cost?
• What will be the return on investments in green
  collar worker preparation?

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WHOS ASKING

• Elected officials and candidates
• The media
• LWDAs, COGs, EDCs
• Industry and professional association
• Education and training partners
• Specific employers

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The Data Dilemma

• Lack of clear operational definition
• green economy
• green industry
• green occupation
• green job
• Surplus of inspired definitions
• Political pitfalls

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Whats the difference between these two toilets?
WHICH OF THE TWO IS GREEN
If you are a plumber with the skills to install
Toilet A, do you need new training to install
toilet B?
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Is one forklift operator greener than another?
Does the operators greenness depend on A.
the fuel source for the forklift B. the
materials being moved C. the way those materials
will subsequently be used D. the education and
training of the operator E. A, B and C but not D.
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Who/what constitutes green building?

• Forestry lumber milling
• Construction specialty trades
• Architectural landscape
• design
• Procurement, project
• management, quality control
• Imbedded software
• development integration
• Materials sciences, chemistry,
• physics, engineering

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Types of Definitions

• By Industry
• By Firm
• By Occupation
• By Detailed Work Assignment

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Outcomes-Based Approach

• What is its net impact on energy consumption?
• Compute in term of BBOEs (barrel of oil
  equivalents)
• Compute in terms of cost per unit of energy
  (e.g., /BUT, /kilowatt, /megajouel
• What is its net impact on emissions of CO2, SO2
  and NOx?
• What is its impact on net job creation?

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Bubble Chart Comparisons
Decreased energy consumption or cost per unit
Increased Emissions
Decreased Emissions
Increased energy consumption or cost per unit
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What Are the Policy Levers

• Regulations and fines
• Market forces (e.g., green profit centers through
  carbon cap and trade, enhanced oil recovery)
• Financial incentives for RD, pilot/demon-stration
  projects commercialization?
• Government procurement
• Consumer education
• Workforce preparation

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Scalable Response

• Sound employment growth forecasts, not hyperbole
• How different are the required knowledge, skills
  and abilities (KSAs)?
• Where do efforts to impart those KSAs fit into
  the curriculum?
• New major/program of study?
• New course (basic or capstone)?
• New module (e.g., less than semester length)?
• Whos the target? (incumbent worker skill
  upgrade, postdoctoral student. . . high school)

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Resources

• Texas LMCI
• Web site www.lmci.state.tx.us
• [phone]
• California Employment Development Department
  www.edd.cal.gov
• Center on Wisconsin Strategy www.cows.org
• Community and technical colleges