Opening Doors to Living Wage Careers 1 A Growing Green Economy: Opportunities of Tomorrow Supported by the National Network of Sector Partners & the City of Seattle Office of Economic Development Juliet Scarpa Seattle Jobs Initiative April 30, 2009

Opening Doors to Living Wage Careers 2 Overview ▪Policy & Legislation ▪Advocacy ▪Investment & Economic Development ▪Industry Sectors ▪Jobs ▪Labor Market Challenges ▪Workforce Preparation ▪Puget Sound Sector Focus: Energy Efficiency ▪Recommendations

Opening Doors to Living Wage Careers 3 Policy & Legislation ▪Federal ▪Energy Bill – Green Jobs Act of 2007 (HB 2847) ▪Clean Energy Corps (April 2009) ▪Washington State ▪Climate Action & Green Jobs Bill of 2008 (HB 2815) ▪Evergreen Jobs Act of 2009 (HB 2227) ▪King County ▪Motion (August 2008) ▪City of Seattle ▪Green Building Capital Initiative (April 2009)

Opening Doors to Living Wage Careers 4 American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) ▪Workforce Investment Act ▪Additional $3.6B ▪High Growth & Emerging Industry Sector Grants ▪$750M; $500M for Green Jobs Act of 2007 ▪Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grants ▪Additional $3.2B ▪Weatherization Assistance Program ▪Additional $5B ▪State Energy Programs ▪Additional $3.1B

Opening Doors to Living Wage Careers 5 Advocacy ▪Green For All ▪ ▪Apollo Alliance ▪ ▪Green Jobs for America Campaign ▪ ▪Blue Green Alliance ▪

Opening Doors to Living Wage Careers 6 Investment & Economic Development ▪Federal Investments ▪ARRA - $92B in clean technology ▪$33B in clean energy ▪$27B in energy efficiency ▪Washington Business ▪Washington Clean Tech Alliance ▪Financial Incentive Programs ▪Puget Sound Economic Development ▪Puget Sound Regional Council/Prosperity Partnership ▪enterpriseSeattle: Washington Energy Jobs Initiative

Opening Doors to Living Wage Careers 7 Industry Sectors ▪Green Building ▪Energy Efficiency ▪Renewable Energy ▪Recycling & Waste Management ▪SmartGrid/Smart Energy ▪Biofuels/Biomass ▪Alternative Transportation ▪Sustainable Agriculture

Opening Doors to Living Wage Careers 8 Jobs ▪Green Jobs: ▪Direct positive impact on the environment ▪Promote environmental protection and/or energy security ▪Green-Collar Jobs: ▪Traditionally blue-collar industries ▪Cannot be outsourced ▪In healthy working environments ▪Pay good family-supporting wages ▪Provide opportunities for skill and wage advancement ▪Many new jobs, but mostly the old jobs with new skills

Opening Doors to Living Wage Careers 9 Green Jobs: Examples ▪Green Building ▪Construction equipment operators ▪Carpenters ▪Roofers ▪Energy Efficiency ▪Electricians ▪HVAC installers ▪Energy auditors ▪Insulation workers ▪Renewable Energy ▪Iron and steel workers ▪Sheet metal workers ▪Recycling & Waste Management ▪Hazardous materials removal workers ▪Waste treatment plant operators

Opening Doors to Living Wage Careers 10 Green Jobs: Examples ▪SmartGrid/Smart Energy ▪Power engineers ▪Computer technicians ▪Building operators ▪Biofuels/Biomass ▪Processing technicians ▪Industrial truck drivers ▪Alternative Transportation ▪Bike repairers ▪Hybrid automotive maintenance technicians ▪Welders ▪Sustainable Agriculture ▪Organic farm workers ▪Green roof installers

Opening Doors to Living Wage Careers 11 Green Labor Market Demand ▪ Job opportunities will continue to grow ▪ Many of these are middle-skill, middle-wage* jobs King County Carpenters600+ new jobs Electricians450+ new jobs Plumbers, Pipefitters, & Steamfitters 360+ new jobs HVAC mechanics & installers150+ new jobs Sheet metal workers130+ new jobs * Middle-skill jobs require more than a HS diploma but not a 4-year degree. Middle- wage jobs are middle-skill jobs that pay $17/hr + benefits. Source: WA Employment Security Department

Opening Doors to Living Wage Careers 12 Labor Market Supply ▪Despite current economy, long term issues of quantity and quality loom. ▪Labor shortages across traditional blue-collar sectors due to retirements, lack of interest, and lack of needed basic skills.

Opening Doors to Living Wage Careers 13 Puget Sound Green Workforce Preparation ▪Industry Skills Standards and Curriculum Development ▪Northwest Energy Efficiency Taskforce/Centralia Community College Center of Excellence ▪Skills Panels: Energy Technology; Power Generation; Green Building & Design ▪Connecting Youth ▪Opportunity Greenway; SWITCH Project ▪Pre-apprenticeships & Apprenticeships ▪Community College Programs ▪Environmental Horticulture, Sustainable Building Management, Sustainable Building Advisor, Residential Energy Auditing, Solar/Photovoltaic Designer, Zero Energy Building, Water Supply & Wastewater Technology, Energy Management, and others in various stages of development.

Opening Doors to Living Wage Careers 14 Sector Focus: Energy Efficiency in Puget Sound ▪Relatively low cost to implement methods ▪Large, well established, and growing industry ▪69% of all green jobs in King County ▪Majority of work requires construction, manufacturing and utilities industry skills. ▪Northwest Energy Efficiency Workforce Opportunities Project (NEWOP) ▪Commercial and Residential Energy Efficiency Resource Clearinghouse and Industry Intermediary ▪Pilot cohort-based training model in Residential Energy Efficiency

Opening Doors to Living Wage Careers 15 Recommendations ▪POLICY: ▪Federal & state legislation – funding and programs ▪Alignment with other strategies ▪ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: ▪Connect w/ industry stakeholders – growing/changing business and workforce needs ▪LABOR MARKET: ▪Current and future compositional challenges ▪Industry projections ▪TRAINING: ▪Inventory capacity in existing programs ▪Skills standards as foundation of ‘greening’ programs ▪Partnerships for successful sectoral strategies

Opening Doors to Living Wage Careers 16 For more information: Juliet Scarpa Senior Policy Analyst Seattle Jobs Initiative