California Needs Assessment of Workforce Issues for Energy Efficiency, Demand-Side Management,

Renewable Energy and the Green Economy

• Conducted by the Donald Vial Center on Employment in the Green Economy, Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, UC Berkeley.

• Funded by California utility ratepayers under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission.

OverviewA comprehensive look at:

--The need for workforce preparation, given the growth in green jobs and employer demand

--The current workforce training and education infrastructure that can provide this preparation

--The study will identify the gaps that exist and where workforce strategies can be better directed and coordinated.

--We will draw upon the work of other researchers as well as develop new analyses.

Task 1: California’s Future Workforce

• Description of California economy, present and future– Population projections– Migration flows– Aging of the workforce – Income and wage inequality trends – Competitive advantages– Other factors: policies, budgetary constraints and

the business cycle

Task 2: Project Employment

Policies

Investment

Business cycle

Industries = energy efficiency, demand-side management in detail; other green sectors in less detail

Policies = All policies in EESP, including EE rebates, standards, etc. and other policies and funding that affect EE and demand side managemetn

Jobs

Scenario 1 Scenario 2 Scenario 3

JobsJobs

Baseline Jobs + projected jobs

EDD Green Employer Survey

CoE Green Employer Survey

EDA Green Employer Survey

Task 2: Project Labor Supply

• Project green sector workforce characteristics– Task 1 findings, California workforce– Task 2 findings, current green workforce– Projections from CA Department of Finance

• Profile population with barriers

Task 2: Profile Sectors

• Case studies of energy efficiency sectors– Review of trade literature– Industry expert interviews– Employer interviews

• Residential retrofit is first sector, including whole house retrofit

Task 2: Sector Case StudiesOccupations

Jobs Staffing Patterns

EDD Green Employment Survey

CC Centers for Excellence Survey

Key informant interviews

Task 2: Profile Skills

• Current occupations• Emerging/expanding occupations• Existence of career pathways or lack of

them• Skill standards, certifications etc

Task 2: Profile pipeline into jobs job quality

• Employer hiring practices, qualifications, applicant pools, and specific barriers to employment

• Wages, benefits, other job characteristics

• Current use of internal and external training

Task 2: Map Green Businesses and Workers

• Map current and future green business locations

• Map current and future green workforce locations

• Determine mismatch

Task 3-6 Strategies for Workforce Education and Training for Green Jobs in California

Main question: How can we promote effective workforce development strategies?

• Lots of new investment in green workforce training and education• Is this investment responding to real job growth and real need for skills

development?• Given the many players and initiatives, how can coordination be

maximized, duplication minimized?• How can we build on the assets the state already has, such as the

community colleges and apprenticeship infrastructure?• How can we make sure that investments are going where they are needed

to all regions in California?• How can we open up access to good green jobs with career ladders for

people from disadvantaged communities?• How can we make sure that public investments in workforce development

support good jobs with career ladders?

Task 3: Inventory and Assessment of Interests, Responsibilities, Current and Planned WE&T Activities, and Strengths of

Collaborators

QUESTIONS:• Who is doing what?• Where is there coordination and collaboration

among the many workforce initiatives occurring and where isn’t there?

• Where is there coordination between economic development initiatives and workforce initiatives?

• What are challenges and opportunities for better alignment and coordination of workforce training and education initiatives among the major funders?

Task 3: Inventory and Assessment of Interests, Responsibilities, Current and Planned WE&T Activities, and Strengths of

Collaborators

DATA COLLECTION ON:

• Government agencies that fund workforce development.• Government agencies that fund green job creation.• Government agencies with a role in regulating the green sectors.• Philanthropic foundations that fund job training and pathways out of

poverty programs. • Key training and education institutions • Key employers, employer associations, labor organizations, and labor-

management partnerships that fund training.• Community organizations or other intermediaries that shape workforce

development in their regions.• Regional public/private partnership involved in green job creation and

green workforce development.

Task 4 Identification and Documentation of Education and Job Training Programs and Employment Information Systems

QUESTIONS:• What is the capacity of current training and education

programs to prepare workers for green jobs?– type and length of training, specific skills, industry recognized

certificates and credentials– # of graduates, # of job placements– Geographic distribution by skill category– Population served– Etc.

• What is the capacity of current employment information systems to help match workers with training programs and jobs?

Task 4 Identification and Documentation of Education and Job Training Programs and Employment Information Systems

DATA COLLECTION ON:• Community college degrees, certificate programs, and other training offerings

• Adult education, high school, and ROP offerings

• Community-based and non-profit training organizations

• Private and industry training programs • Four-year college degrees that specialize in energy efficiency, renewables, and

related fields

• Building and construction trades apprenticeship programs

• Private and public employment information sytems

• K-8 programs

Task 5 Identification of Best Practices to Support Participation of Minority, Low Income and Disadvantaged Communities

QUESTIONS:

What program characteristics and strategies are necessary to successfully place and retain people from disadvantaged communities in good green jobs?

What initiatives in California are currently doing this?

What is their size, scalability, breadth, geographic reach, etc.?

How do they match with employer needs by sector and region?

Task 5 Identification of Best Practices to Support Participation of Minority, Low Income and Disadvantaged Communities

DATA FROM:

• National studies of best practices in workforce training and education programs to increase minority, low-income and disadvantaged populations’ placement and retention in good jobs

• Inventory in Task 4 • Qualitative interviews with training partnerships

Task 6 Identification of Future Needs (“Gap Analysis”) and Development of Workforce Strategies to Address Needs

• Synthesis of Tasks 1-5• Geographic and sector mapping of match and mismatch

between existing workforce and education programs and real needs for skill upgrading in the labor market

• Gap analysis will be based on alternative policy and growth scenarios

• Will include recommendations on how to address gaps, considering existing players and their potential contributions to a coordinated workforce development effort.

Task 6 Identification of Future Needs (“Gap Analysis”) and Development of Workforce Strategies to Address Needs

• Synthesis of Tasks 1-5• Geographic and sector mapping of match between existing

workforce and education programs and labor market needs for skill upgrading

• Based on alternative policy and growth scenarios• Identification of strategy to fill gaps, considering existing

players and their potential contributions to a coordinated workforce development effort.

Task 7: Support for the Planning and Conducting of Public Meeting(s)

• Stakeholder engagement process• Coordination with other research and

planning efforts• Leading to Green Workforce Summit in late

Fall 2010