PHILADELPHIA – Given the unprecedented time required to invest in green technology and the job loss states face, government can and is playing a leading role in enhancing green collar jobs, speakers at the National Conference of State Legislatures said on Monday.
Even before the federal stimulus, states took a leading role in promoting green jobs, said Service Employees International Union New York President Michael Fishman. But with that federal money driving the focus now, Fishman said states can continue to play a key role by setting some of the standards for wages in the jobs tied to stimulus funding, including weatherization programs being carried out.
“We finally now have a national conscience now about green jobs,” he said. “(However) they should be jobs people can live and sustain their families on. Green jobs have to create good jobs.”
Besides the wage issue, Fishman said it’s the states’ role to upgrade building standards as facilities are retrofitted to fit the 21st Century model.
But who will carry out those green jobs, the speakers said, also relies heavily on the training of workers.
California Community Colleges System Office Vice Chancellor Jose Millan said his state studied what it “means to be green” and assigned the state’s nine economic regions to meet the needs of industries there by providing “green curriculum” in all coursework.
Partnering with specific industries to fill in the education gaps of workers was also a key component of how the state has tried to spur more jobs.
Mr. Millan said businesses were surveyed within the study, which showed recruiting experienced employees is one of the largest challenges companies face, as is retaining qualified workers.
Nearly half of the survey’s respondents also expressed an interest in cooperating with community colleges to provide specific training opportunities, he said.
Mike Walker of Lennox Industries in Texas said education also has to carry into the workforce of government itself as it is one the leading purchasers of high efficiency green equipment.
As government leads in the purchases of this sustainable equipment, Mr. Walker said that creates a market for other buyers, which leads to companies being able to pay workers more and grow.
He said it’s key for states to understand these relationships now in order to provide the policies for greening states, including providing incentives for utilities to pursue energy savings, which he said is another leading contributor in the green revolution.
NCSL’s general session starts on Tuesday, with more discussion on how states can implement policies that support the growth of a green economy.
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