The USGBC-IE is currently looking to place participants who have completed our CEWTP (Clean Energy Team Workforce Training Program – workers are trained and certified in BPI, HERS and weatherization) in jobs, internships and/or job shadowing opportunities.  If you or your company have or know of any opportunities to place these workers please contact Kevin Varner (kevin@usgbc-ie.org) or Mike Peel (mpeel@usgbc-ie.org) or call us at (877) 605-7424. Any help would be greatly appreciated and we would also be happy to let you know about additional opportunities for members and their companies through other programs and grants we are currently working towards.

CEWTP

USGBC-IE in partnership with Uncommon Good and the CSI Company recently formed Green and Gold program places workers who have received training through the California Energy Commission’s Clean Energy Workforce Training Program (CEWTP). Workers have earned certification from the Building Performance Institute (BPI). In addition, some have contractor’s licenses and other qualifications suited for performing energy audits and retrofit upgrades, while others may have prior experience in project management, administration and even sales and marketing.  USGBC-Inland Empire is Exploring ways to create projects to provide opportunities for workforce trainees as well as help stimulate the economy through public, private and foundation partnerships.

USGBC-IE in conjunction with Uncommon Good and other grant participants has been exploring creative ways to generate job and training opportunities through public private partnerships as well as the other following activities:

- Cultivating relationships with like-minded organizations, businesses and governmental entities with dynamic and influential leaders for the Green Employers  Advisory Council and GAP programs to brainstorm opportunities and networking to provide job shadowing, on the job training, internships leading to full time employment.
- Exploring the idea of creating a training and showcase home for both CEWTP participants and general public education in retrofitting and greening homes.
- Working with cities and counties with other funding to provide job and training opportunities for the CEWTP participants.
- Working with CSI and Uncommon Good on their Green Action Partners program (GAP) Members of GAP are action-minded green businesses, non-profits, municipalities and private donors seeking to develop and implement creative solutions that bridge the employment GAP between yesterday and tomorrow.
- Exploring other Foundation, Grant and private support and partnerships for the job creation, job shadowing and training opportunities.
- USGBC-IE has also been contacting and meeting with USGBC member companies, partners and other USGBC Chapters about hiring, apprenticeship and shadowing opportunities for CEWTP participants.
- Communication with the CEWTP participants is ongoing through email and telephone calls with updates, job listings, outreach support, invitations to the GET program and other opportunities as well as being available for questions, mentoring and/or advice.
- Maintaining a list of employers throughout the region as well as their key contact people.

With the economy still struggling the USGBC-IE has been pursuing project creation, public awareness and marketing assistance, educational programming, etc. with local businesses, government and organizations in order to help stimulate the green and retrofit markets for both homes and businesses.  Through these partnerships we believe we can create the groundwork to generate employment opportunities.

The Green Energy Team (GET) worker support group is overseen by Uncommon Good to ensure that committed workers gain additional experience prior to, and as projects are being developed. The members are interested to develop their portfolio at a time when there are few job opportunities in the region. They have gained experience by working with the CSI Company on their own time to practice on equipment to keep their skills honed. They are seeking the work experience needed through audit and retrofit project to help establish themselves as higher-value employees in the clean energy sector. Members of GET fill out an application that is reviewed by Uncommon Good to match workers with projects based on their qualifications and experience. The GET group meets biweekly at the Uncommon Good office to brainstorm and plan, develop and execute sensible opportunities.

Oversight and support for the Green Energy Team (GET) is part of Uncommon Good’s focus, including meeting and agenda support, committee guideline assistance, and suggested outreach efforts that the GET members can take to build their portfolio and increase their networking opportunities.

Uncommon Good provides basic workforce development support in the form of packets that include information on resume writing tips, interview guides, and recommended job search sites, among other topics. The staff supports any workers who would like their resume reviewed prior to submitting to employers or to potential projects.

Overall mentoring components provided to GET by Uncommon Good include the following:

1. Skills Development

Substantive job preparation packets including marketing, communication, and other business skill development.

Assistance identifying skills/knowledge/job and career opportunities through one-to-one mentoring experiences.

2. Continued Knowledge

Regular BPI assessment sessions amongst group members.

Presentations from Uncommon Good and employers on job preparation topics  and industry topics.

3. Career Exploration

Resume Support.

Interview Guidelines and Practice.

Targeted Job Searching for Participants and Regular Updates.

4. Networking Opportunities

Access to targeted networks (people and organizations) through opportunities arranged and promoted by Uncommon Good and partners such as USGBC-IE.

Introductions to other professionals through clean energy industry conferences, forums, summits, and other opportunities specific to their certifications.

The best green jobs search websites to continuously check based on our research are as follows:

Green Jobs Ready

Clean Techies Clean Tech Jobs

Skilled Workers

Green Jobs Spider

Renewable Energy World

Sustainable Business Green Jobs

Indeed.com

California Energy Commission’s CEWTP website and Green Jobs resources

Energy Empowers website through the U.S. Department of Energy

USGBC-IE Green Jobs Efforts

The California legislature has passed a law mandating that utilities get 33% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Because of this, there is the potential for the clean energy sector to develop in a significant way and create job opportunities in this state. This is particularly significant for California’s Inland Empire which has yet to recover from the 2008 recession and where unemployment remains high.

USGBC-IE in partnership with Uncommon Good and the CSI Company recently formed Green and Gold program places workers who have received training through the California Energy Commission’s Clean Energy Workforce Training Program (CEWTP). Workers have earned certification from the Building Performance Institute (BPI). In addition, some have contractor’s licenses and other qualifications suited for performing energy audits and retrofit upgrades, while others may have prior experience in project management, administration and even sales and marketing. USGBC-Inland Empire is Exploring ways to create projects to provide opportunities for workforce trainees as well as help stimulate the economy through public, private and foundation partnerships.

USGBC-IE in conjunction with Uncommon Good and other grant participants has been exploring creative ways to generate job and training opportunities through public private partnerships as well as the other following activities:

Cultivating relationships with like-minded organizations, businesses and governmental entities with dynamic and influential leaders for the Green Employers Advisory Council and GAP programs to brainstorm opportunities and networking to provide job shadowing, on the job training, internships leading to full time employment.

Exploring the idea of creating a training and showcase home for both CEWTP participants and general public education in retrofitting and greening homes.

Working with cities and counties with other funding to provide job and training opportunities for the CEWTP participants.

Working with CSI and Uncommon Good on their Green Action Partners program (GAP) Members of GAP are action-minded green businesses, non-profits, municipalities and private donors seeking to develop and implement creative solutions that bridge the employment GAP between yesterday and tomorrow.

Exploring other Foundation, Grant and private support and partnerships for the job creation, job shadowing and training opportunities.

USGBC-IE has also been contacting and meeting with USGBC member companies, partners and other USGBC Chapters about hiring, apprenticeship and shadowing opportunities for CEWTP participants.

Communication with the CEWTP participants is ongoing through email and telephone calls with updates, job listings, outreach support, invitations to the GET program and other opportunities as well as being available for questions, mentoring and/or advice.

Maintaining a list of employers throughout the region as well as their key contact people.

To accomplish all of the above, USGBC-IE works with Uncommon Good’s Green and Gold program, which readies the unemployed in this hard-hit region for work in the emerging green economy and helps them re-enter the workforce. Uncommon Good provides hands-on project opportunities and employment development workshops to the participants. This on-the-job experience distinguishes participants from trainees who complete other training programs that do not provide them with actual work experience.

Through Green and Gold, Uncommon Good works with USGBC-IE, municipalities and other allied green partners, including:

• • The CSI Company – Project management and technical expertise to successfully implement all audit and retrofit projects. Uncommon Good has partnered with the CSI Company in a joint venture role to provide the necessary project management and oversight, technical expertise for proposals, equipment, and insurance needed to successfully implement all audit and retrofit projects. As a licensed Professional General Contractor, the CSI Company specializes in Design/Build and Project Management services for residential and commercial remodeling, remediation, and ground-up construction requirements. For more information about the CSI Company, go to their website at http://www.thecsico.com/.

• • City of Rancho Cucamonga – Pilot projects related to audits and potential retrofit work are being developed and similar projects are now being planned with other cities and private employers of the U.S. Green Building Council-Inland Empire Chapter.

In 2011, the CSI Company and Uncommon Good launched Green Action Partners (GAP) in partnership with USGBC-IE. Members of GAP are action-minded green businesses, non-profits, municipalities and private donors seeking to develop and implement creative solutions that bridge the employment gap between yesterday and tomorrow. GAP provides advanced training, mentoring and intern opportunities for the dedicated unemployed and underemployed participants of the Clean Energy Workforce Training Program (CEWTP) to keep them actively engaged in their newly acquired skills. As a result, the GAP advanced training and work experiences lead to the following opportunities:

1. 1. Higher quality and better paying jobs; maintaining current skill levels and building new ones; and building self-confidence.
   2. GAP is the conduit that completes the connection between governments and governmental entities that have specific job needs to appropriate workers for those required tasks. GAP workers have a variety of opportunities to experience BPI and HERS Diagnostic Testing; LEED Commissioning Processes; Solar Installation; and Administrative, Marketing, and Project Coordination roles.
   3. The CSI Company provides the GAP members hands-on practice opportunities with blower door testing; infrared Imaging; energy inspections and moisture detection and mapping; combustible appliance testing and project management and accountability.

The long-term goal of all of these efforts is to build a sustainable infrastructure to connect local governments and companies with specific energy efficiency, green building, and general clean energy job needs to appropriate workers for those required tasks and job opportunities.  For more information about Uncommon Good’s Green and Gold program, go to the following website: http://uncommongood.org/?page_id=158.

The overall intent of these efforts is to target programmatic investments more effectively and offer on-the-job training and mentoring opportunities in order to position and enable these workers to accelerate in their respective roles as the employment and economy rebound. The initial group of BPI raters will ideally find employment opportunities as:

• • Retrofitting Specialists
  • Energy Auditors/Home Energy Raters
  • Resource Conservation/Energy Efficiency Managers

Based on industry statistics and in a normal economy, it is anticipated that these types of green collar jobs will provide the following salary ranges:

• • Experienced BPI Lead Technician ($28,000-$33,000 annually)
  • BPI Tech Assistant ($18,000-$23,000 annually)

Understanding the link between growing demand for the clean energy industries and their ability to pair students with jobs, Uncommon Good in conjunction with the USGBC-IE plans to host workshops to discuss business development and offering educational guidelines for homeowners on energy upgrades and what makes a high performance home or business. The following strategies will be pursued:

• • Continue to seek investments from utilities and state and local governments beyond ARRA funds. Though job creation is lagging the initial investments into the market at the moment, numerous studies show that global warming, environmental justice, and national security concerns will spur the growth of the clean energy and energy efficiency industries for many years to come.
  • Programs and policies that pair investments in business development and market expansion with investments in training are more likely to create the jobs for which the training is intended.
  • Green tech skills and education are often applicable in more than one sector or industry.  Teaching students topics such as marketing, sales, science, and engineering will not only prepare them for work in the clean energy industry, but position them to contribute to other industries as well.
  • Participation in the clean energy economy extends beyond work in private sector companies. Unions, community action agencies, and governments will all need people as well, which Uncommon Good and USGBC-IE can cultivate through its networking and informational outreach and follow-up.
  • Employers, as people, make decisions based on relationships.  When companies do have demand for new workers, they will reach out to the organizations and training providers they know and trust. Building relationships early and consistently can lead to more connectivity to employers later on.

For the long-term, the USGBC-IE plans to pursue project creation, public awareness and marketing assistance, educational programming and more with local businesses, government and organizations in order to help stimulate the green and retrofit markets for both homes and businesses. Through these partnerships we believe we can create the groundwork to generate employment opportunities and help build the clean energy sector and economy overall.