Progress 09/01/10 to 08/31/13
Outputs
Target Audience: The primary audiences for this research are economic development and workforce development professionals interested in promoting green jobs in their community. The research provides a methodology for measuring these jobs and for assessing their impact on the community. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? The project provided opportunities for training professionals on the issues surrounding green-collar jobs. Extension educators will provided with models for measuring green-collar jobs in their communities and strategies for assessing their impact. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Reports have been posted on websites that are accessible to the public. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The results suggest that most regions are not generating many green-collar jobs. The percentage of jobs in most regions is relatively small. Many of the technical colleges in the region have developed programs for green-collar jobs, but they have not been able to place most students. The quality of green-collar jobs (in terms of wages and benefits) is not significantly different than other jobs avaialble in these regions. Many of the most successful programs were adding skills to exisitng jobs rather than creating new jobs.
Publications
|
Progress 01/01/12 to 12/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: To examine the nature of green job training programs in the region, we conducted intensive interviews with administrators and instructors at several technical colleges. These interviews focused on the content of programs, as well as placement and other related issues. We also have begun interviewing students and employers to evaluate how well these programs are meeting their needs. PARTICIPANTS: This project supports a graduate student in the sociology program who is conducting research on the green economy. We are working closely with several technical colleges, especially Blackhawk Technical College and Madison College, on this project. TARGET AUDIENCES: We anticipate that this program will be of interest to other community colleges and technical colleges, as well as workforce development networks in Wisconsin. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
The data collection in Wisconsin tends to support the general conclusion form national studies that the central problem with green job training is primarily related to demand. In some cases, the training institutions found very few employers that were hiring workers in green occupations. Some training institutions were offering more general programs in sustainability. Again, employers seemed to have very little interest in these programs, even when their training was certified. Overall, students found the green training programs interesting and hoped to apply their skills in the workforce. Employers tended to be skeptical about the "bottom-line" with regard to green job training, and especially more general sustainability training.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
|
Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Case studies were conducted in communities in Barron and Polk Counties in Wisconsin. The case studies documented efforts by municipal and county governments to promote energy efficiency, as well as create green jobs in the region. We also collected data on the key industries in these counties. This industry information provided data on import penetration, as well as data on creation of green jobs. Finally, we prepared questionnaires for conducting additional employer surveys in additional counties in Northwest Wisconsin. PARTICIPANTS: County Extension educators and economic development professionals in the region. TARGET AUDIENCES: Training and educational institutions. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
We found that Barron County had been very active in retrofitting county buildings, such as the county courthouse. We estimated that the improvements will save about $21,000 in electric bills for the county and will have an estimated payback period of about two years. In terms of promoting the use of renewable energy, the county school district has purchased local biomass to save an estimated $200,000 per year in heating costs. These purchases created several jobs in the local economy. The county also helped a firm re-established its business. The firm supplies biodiesel from canola oil. The largest source of green jobs in the county was a firm that built custom cabinets. The firm was certified as a green industry and provided approximately 140 green jobs in the county. Finally, the county burns its garbage and turns it to steam to provide energy. This has not produced many jobs, but has reduced the amount of waste in the county.
Publications
- Li, Yifei. 2011. Growth Machine and Local Environmental Politics. Masters Thesis. University of Wisconsin-Madison.
- Green, Gary and Yifei Li. 2012. Green collar jobs. Forthcoming in Berkshire Encyclopedia of Sustainability. L. Lewis, J. Liu, and S. Pellissery (eds.). Great Barrington, MA: Berkshire Publishing.
- Green, Gary Paul. 2011. Rural jobs. Forthcoming in International Handbook of Rural Demography, L. Kulscsar and K. Curtis (eds.). New York: Springer Publishing.
|
Progress 01/01/10 to 12/31/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Employer surveys were conducted in two Wisconsin Counties (Barron and Polk) to evaluate the demand for green-collar jobs. The questionnaires were completed by 69 employers. The surveys obtained basic data on wages, benefits, and training for all occupations in the establishment. In addition, we collected more specific data on green jobs in four areas: renewable energy; energy efficiency, environmentally friendly production; and conservation and pollution mitigation. Employers were asked to identify the number of workers and types of jobs in each category. Because many of these jobs are not full-time equivalent, we asked employers to estimate the FTE equivalent for each of these positions. A report was written for each county and the results were distributed by the county extension educator. In particular, the results were distributed to economic development professionals, government officials, educators/trainers, and others who may have an interest in green jobs and workforce development. PARTICIPANTS: County extension educators and economic development professionals in the region. TARGET AUDIENCES: Training and educational institutions will have a better sense of the type of training needed in the green workforce. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Barron and Polk County employers do not anticipate growing much in the next year or so. Many employers continue to report that they are having difficulty recruiting qualified workers, and attribute it to the fact that applicants lack the necessary skills for the jobs that were available. The largest demand in the region is for commission sales, machine operators, mechanics and repair, and laborers. We estimated that the green workforce in these counties is about 7% of the total workforce. The occupations with the largest number of green jobs is production workers and jobs in the area of Heating/Air Conditioning, Refrigeration mechanics and installers. These data will help training institutions in the region estimate the demand for their training programs and better gauge the types of training that will be needed in the area.
Publications
- Green, Gary Paul and Andrew Dane. 2010. Green-collar jobs. Pp. 251-255 in The Business of Sustainability, Chris Laszio, Daniel S. Fogel, Peter Whitehouse, Karen Christensen, and Gernot Wagner (eds.). Great Barrington, MA: Berkshire Publishing.
- Green, Gary Paul and Andrew Dane. 2010. Labor Market Conditions in Barron County. Madison: University of Wisconsin-Extension.
- Kazmierski, Robert and Gary Paul Green. 2010. Labor Market Conditions in Polk County. Madison: University of Wisconsin-Extension.
|
|