The Obama Administration plans to create 5 million new jobs by putting $15 billion per year into green technology and imposing tougher targets on emissions that may cause global warming. While economists debate the merits of this plan, most people have already begun looking for those “green collar” jobs. But, will they find them?

If you visit CareerBuilder.com and type in “green collar” you will get 0 results. If you type in “green technology” you will get a list of jobs in Information Technology that requires applicants to have a green card. Is there a special group of keywords we should use to find those new green jobs?

Not really.

“The jobs that are out there will not be listed under green,” says Joliet Junior College (JJC) Technical Department Chair, Glen Mazur. “Green is just a buzz word.”

According to Mazur, many existing jobs simply need a green component of skills to make them green. “We have people good at grounding electricity,” says Mazur, “but not at grounding electricity for wind turbines. The problem with wind turbines is that they are like lightning rods. The metal in the blades need to be grounded.” For Mazur, that kind of added knowledge makes the electrician a green collar worker.

While some jobs may be greener than others, jobs in existing technology can become greener by requiring greener skills. Let’s use the food industry as an example. Mazur explains how the JJC cafeteria has begun using plastic flatware made of a corn derivative. The people who make this flatware are technically involved in a green job and probably needed some special green training. They may have learned what they needed on the job, or attended a few seminars. By doing so, they learned some new skills and became green collar workers.

For that reason, there is a need to add green training to existing technical programs and manufacturing is a good example. Many people in manufacturing will be learning new skills to make green products such as corn-based flatware or generators for wind turbines.

Nevertheless, there are some jobs that are specifically green and require special training. Some schools and organizations have already begun to prepare people to fill them. One example is the heavy equipment and crane operators union Local 150. They want Joliet Junior College to design a wind turbine training program that will produce Journeyman wind turbine technicians who know how to work safely and productively on this equipment.

Mazur is quick to point out, however, that certain green jobs may be more prevalent in some parts of the county than in others. Wind turbines will be popular in states with flat lands and heavier winds and solar power may be in greater demand in states with warmer and sunnier climates. People will need to prepare themselves for the green jobs that will be popular in their locations.

A December 8, 2008 BusinessWeek article written by John Carey, says the same thing. Carey writes: “Some green industries are homegrown by nature. Bio-fuel refineries need to be built near the crops that provide the feedstock.”

More jobs could be created by providing incentives for homeowners to make their houses more energy efficient. Carey quotes Robert Pollin of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst saying, “There is about $26 billion in retrofitting on public buildings that could be done the day after legislation is signed. The job impacts are very high. Each $1 million in spending would bring about 18 jobs.”

While some industries such as construction and manufacturing may incorporate more green into their products, it may be difficult for job seekers to locate them. In a blog for pbcbriefing.com, the writer reports that sustainable jobs exist only when people produce goods and services for the marketplace. “Green jobs,” writes the author, “would evolve, in part, because they are required in green businesses.” The question this writer poses is whether businesses producing environmentally preferable products or services are classified as green, or if environmentally-friendly businesses are considered green? Since there is no commonly accepted definition, we do not know how many green businesses are operating. This may make it difficult to know where to look for those green jobs.

Based on current conditions, the best way to look for green jobs may be to do the following:

• Learn how green is being added to your particular set of workplace skills and seek ways to learn those skills
• Analyze trends in your industry and learn how to incorporate green ideas into your job
• Seek out any seminar or certification training that will validate your knowledge and skills in green technology
• Become versed in whatever energy production system is most likely to be implemented in your geographic area including wind turbines, solar panels, nuclear, and bio-fuels
• Seek job opportunities in companies that have expressed a commitment to green technology
• Look for jobs that include the following words in the job description:  green, sustainable, energy efficient, environmentally safe, LED, LEED certified, and other key green terms
• Visit the Department of Labor web site (www.dol.gov) to learn about green-related careers

“It is important to be open-minded and flexible about finding green collar jobs,” says Joe Giunta, contract training manager for JJC. “Green jobs are beginning to be identified by industry, but, because it is so new, that identity is dynamic and changing. It is more important to look for green opportunities than it is to look for a green job.”

To learn how Joliet Junior College can help you prepare for a green career, call Joe Giunta at (815) 280-2729, or e-mail jgiunta@jjc.edu.

For more information about this story, visit:
PCB Briefing Blog
http://pbcbriefing.blogsome.com/2008/11/18/14/

BusinessWeek
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_49/b4111030857315.htm?chan=magazine+channel_news