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State should bolster training for green jobs

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By Tim Tresslar, Staff Writer 11:49 PM Monday, January 25, 2010

The state should beef up its training infrastructure to help workers gain the skills they need to work in the clean-energy sector, particularly in construction and manufacturing, according to a report issued Monday, Jan. 25.

Piet van Lier, a researcher with Cleveland-based Policy Matters Ohio, said Ohio has many of the components it needs — such as a skilled workforce and academic programs — to compete in green industries.

The study van Lier co-authored with Elena Foshay, a research associate with the Appollo Alliance, says potential growth in “green-collar” jobs could boost the middle class and put millions of unemployed people back to work.

The study defines “green-collar” jobs as high-quality, career jobs that “contribute significantly to enhancing or preserving the environment.”

Ohio needs to develop career paths that allow entry-level workers to move up to more specialized jobs with higher pay, van Lier said. And, while the state’s community colleges and technical schools have led the way in providing such training, high tuition and low completion rates for these programs remain a challenge, he said.

The report issued by Policy Matters Ohio and the Apollo Alliance included eight policy suggestions. Among them:

• Invest in existing training programs, such as those offered at the high school level, such as high school career technical education, instead of investing in new programs that sometimes aren’t necessary.

• Award public grants and projects for green projects based on commitment to hire locally rather than based on low bids.

• Invest in existing programs such as adult basic education, bridge programs and high school technical education to fill in gaps in existing training programs instead of sinking money into new programs.

• Provide incentives for training, hiring and mentoring in the construction and manufacturing trades for such groups as minorities, women and military veterans.

Ohio lost 106,000 manufacturing and 31,000 construction jobs last year, the study reported.

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