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Pennsylvania Center for Green Careers
Fact Sheet: February 2010 |
| Background
As documented in the recently released The Pennsylvania Green Jobs Report, Part 1, Pennsylvania is among the states with the highest number of green jobs. Advanced workforce policies and wise investments have made the state a national leader in creating and fostering a green economy.
| Formation of the Pennsylvania Center for Green Careers
Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Pennsylvania was awarded $6 million for green-career training. To fully realize the strategic advantages within the commonwealth, the Department of Labor & Industry, or L&I, has created the Pennsylvania Center for Green Careers, or, PCGC, a part of the Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Board. Working together with L&I's Center for Workforce Information & Analysis, who received a $1.25 million green labor market information improvement grant, the PCGC will work to identify green occupations which are most in need and provide green training to fill those positions.
| Green Regions
The commonwealth will be divided into six regional areas, each with a Regional Green Team. Teams will consist of representatives from green industries, training providers and workforce development professionals, and will assess regional workforce needs and develop strategies to provide a skilled workforce for emerging green careers. The teams will coordinate green career training efforts and be responsible for recruitment, integration of supportive services, case management, job placement and retention strategies.
| Green Career Training
The PCGC will be the conduit for growth in the green careers sector, much the same way the Pennsylvania Center for Health Careers has helped the labor market meet the demand for health care occupations across the state.
The skills and competencies gained through training provided by the PCGC will:
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Enable workers to fill available jobs;
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Enable workers to acquire skill certifications which deliver a triple benefit of quality assurance for employers, skill portability for workers and maximum environmental benefit for the commonwealth;
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Help low-income workers achieve and keep entry-level jobs, then receive support necessary to develop along a career pathway;
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Build Pennsylvania employers' capacity to participate in new green markets, maximizing those industries' growth and creating export opportunities.
| Industry Partnerships
To ensure an industry-led approach to addressing the skill gaps necessary for today's and tomorrow's green workforce, the PCGC will seek advice from the employers in the Industry Partnerships across the state that have green occupations within their companies.
| Green Workforce Specialists
100 'Green Workforce Specialists' will be trained and be available at each of the more than 67 PA CareerLink® offices throughout the commonwealth, as well as each of the 22 local workforce investment boards.
| Contact Information
For more information about The Pennsylvania Center for Green Careers, The Pennsylvania Green Jobs Report, Part I or the state's Labor Market Information Improvement Grant, contact Christopher Manlove in the L&I press office at (717) 787-7530.
