How You Can Find a Green-Collar Job

Though much of Apollo’s work is focused on systemic changes in clean energy and green-collar job policy and practices, our work also is particularly useful to people who don’t have a job or are looking for a new one. The following green-collar job information resources should help.

Recovery Act Information Center
First is our own Recovery Act Information Center, which provides up to date information on how and where federal investments in clean energy and green-collar job training from the $787 billion stimulus bill is and will be spent. The important section for job seekers is Federal Guidance and Implementation Resources, which provides a state-by-state breakdown of clean energy investment. Other features in that section provide guidance on how cities are using Recovery Act dollars for clean energy programs and projects. Much of the Recovery Act spending will be decided by and funded through state and municipal governments. The jobs developed with Recovery Act clean energy investments are and will generally be associated with existing state and local clean energy programs, and with contractors and private companies executing the energy efficiency upgrades, transit modernization, fix-it-first road and bridge construction, and the jobs to support these and other activities. You should also note that local one-stop career centers also are a good resource for find jobs generated by the Recovery Act.

Green Jobs Boards

A host of online job board resources are available for green-collar job seekers. They include the Green-Collar Blog, which hosts a jobs board with a strong list of online sites to locate and apply for jobs. Other green-collar job seeking resources include Green Dream Jobs, GreenBiz.com, EcoJobs, and  EnvironmentalCareer.com., Sustain Lane’s Green-Collar Jobs Board, and Renewable Energy Jobs. The solar energy industry association has a jobs board. Take a look at our own Apollo Alliance jobs page for opportunities, and the jobs pages of other non-profits, community groups, businesses, and government organizations working in the clean energy space.

Volunteer Service
Opportunities are available to volunteer for a clean energy program or project through Americorps, Senior Corps, the Clean Energy Service Corps or other such program.

Online Clean Energy Information
There are dozens and dozens of online sites that cover the clean energy business and industrial sector from every conceivable perspective. Greener Design, for instance, offers news on businesses incorporating clean energy and efficiency to create sustainable products and practices and is one of the truly useful such sites. The American Wind Energy Association site is here. The Investor Network on Climate Risk, a project of CERES, is here. Businesses for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy, another CERES project, has good stuff. The Iowa Energy Office site is a good example of how states are promoting clean energy investment, a valuable way to understand where job development will occur. So is the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth.  The Environmental Defense Fund maps green companies across the country.

Green-Collar Job Research and Reports
The Apollo Alliance defines a green-collar job as a well-paid, career-track job that contributes directly to preserving or enhancing environmental quality. Like traditional blue-collar jobs, green-collar jobs range from low-skill, entry-level positions to high-skill, higher-paid jobs, and include opportunities for advancement in both skills and wages. The Green-Collar Jobs section of our Green Room provides research, reports, and articles about the range of green-collar opportunities and where they are occurring. Last year, the Apollo Alliance published a report on the development of Green-Collar Jobs in America’s Cities. We published Greener Pathways to detail economic and workforce development opportunities in the energy efficiency, wind, and biofuels sectors. Two years ago Apollo published Community Jobs in the Green Economy that, among other things, outlines a range of green industries that exist in the U.S., and the types and number of jobs associated with each.

The Environmental Defense Fund, one of our Apollo Alliance supporters, published a useful guide to green-collar careers and how and where they will unfold in the coming years. Jim Cassio published a Green Careers Resource Guide. And our own Signature Stories page provides a national snapshot of the companies and existing jobs in the clean energy sector. Each story includes a For More Information sidebar with email, telephone, and other contact details.

Your Knowledge
You also can help. Tell us what you know in the comment section below. The Apollo Alliance Web site reaches tens of thousands of online visitors.