Call to Action:

Educating for a Green Economy

Agenda

• Call to Action White Paper Overview
• Featured Speakers
• Next Steps and Opportunities to Engage
• Discussion

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Overview of the Call to Action White Paper

The Need for Universal Green Career Education

• Environmental systems are under critical pressure
• California policies are creating good green jobs
• Need green career education to inform, inspire, and empower students to thrive in green jobs

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Which Jobs? Criteria for Priority Green Careers:

1. Environmental Impact
2. Labor Market Demand
3. Accessibility &
4. Job Quality

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• Every job is a climate job
• Equitable access to quality green career information and skills education
• Empower students and job seekers to achieve California’s climate and economic equity goals

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Challenges of Educating for a Green Economy

Challenge 1: Lack of a Shared Understanding of Priority Green Careers

• Lack of shared criteria and labor market information to identify Priority Green Careers.
• Need for regularly updated information on essential green skills, occupations, and industry sectors.
• Without this, we risk failing to meet the potential to train for in-demand, quality climate careers

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Challenge 2: Coordination Among California’s Agencies

• There is no systemic green career education leader or organization.
• There is no mandate to ensure that public agencies work together to identify and invest in Priority Green Career Pathways.

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Challenge 3: Coherent Standards and Pathways

• SB 720 requires the integration of California’s “environmental principles and concepts into curriculum and instruction for career and technical education,” but they are not yet incorporated.
• The CA CTE standards for Career Ready Practice establish that career-ready individuals “understand the environmental, social, and economic impacts of decisions,” but there’s no coordinated effort to include environmental literacy within pathway programs and standards.
• TK-12 career education system is segmented into 15 industry sectors and 58 career pathways. Cross-sectoral pathways are not permitted by key funding.
• The Community College and TK-12 systems are not aligned on Industry Sectors and Careers.

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Challenge 4: Equitable Access to Green Career Education

• Lack of universal environmental literacy and green career education deepens disparities.
• Investments and access to green career education programs are insufficient and equitably distributed.

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Recommendation 1: Statewide Strategic Planning though Creating a Roadmap

• Establish a convening organization and leader to facilitate the Roadmap with an equity-informed lens.
• Gather labor market data that identifies Priority Green Careers.
• Foster statewide collaboration through the Roadmap process

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Recommendation 2: Coordinated Implementation

• Collaboration at the state and regional level
• Attract & align funding to Priority Green Careers
• Regularly updated labor market research
• Standards and universal environmental literacy
• Teacher recruitment and capacity building, including training and curriculum
• Bridge the gaps in the green career journey
• Statewide green career awareness and student recruitment campaign

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Appendix I - Promising Practice Profiles

Guest Speakers

Elizabeth Bagley

Managing Director of Project Drawdown

Laura Coleman,

Statewide Director of the Centers of Excellence for Labor Market Research, California Community Colleges

Taj Ahmad Eldridge

Managing Director of Climate Innovation at Jobs for the Future

Kirk Anne Taylor

Executive Director of Climate Action Pathways for Schools

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The Need for Universal Green Career Education

• Environmental systems are under critical pressure
• California policies are creating good green jobs
• Need green career education to inform, inspire, and empower students to thrive in green jobs

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Drawdown Framework for Climate Solutions

Criteria for Priority Green Careers:

• Environmental Impact
• Labor Market Demand
• Accessibility &
• Job Quality

How can we provide better information on priority green career opportunities to help make data-driven decisions about green career programs?

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• Every job is a climate job
• Equitable access to quality green career information and skills education
• Empower students and job seekers to achieve California’s climate and economic equity goals

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Shared Vision:

Universal Access to Quality Green Jobs

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Appendix I - Promising Practice Profiles

Porterville Unified School District

• Serving over 14,000 TK–12 Students
• 88.9% Socioeconomically Disadvantaged
• 83.0% Hispanic
• 25.3% English Learner

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OUR

IMPACT

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In the first two years at PUSD, we reduced GHG emissions by 28%.

At PUSD, we exceeded our goal, achieving $850,000 in electric and natural gas savings in the first two years, a 25% cost reduction.

OUR

IMPACT

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“Before the internship, I was set on becoming an aerospace engineer and working on rocket design. However, the internship led me to understand the urgency of green careers. I decided to go into the energy industry and major in engineering because of its potential to provide clean and sustainable power.”

~ Victor, Porterville Student Intern

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How To Get Involved

• Read the “Call to Action” White Paper.
• Share it with key decision-makers, educators, and industry-partners.
• Complete this form to learn more about the Call to Action Working Group and other ways to get involved.

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Discussion

• Do these recommendations resonate with you?
• What is most important?
• What is most helpful?
• What other challenges and recommendations do you have?
• What other resources and exemplars should we share and scale?
• What ideas do you have for disseminating and advocating for this Call to Action?

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Reminder of How To Get Involved

• Read the “Call to Action” White Paper.
• Share it with key decision-makers, educators, and industry-partners.
• Complete this form to learn more about the Call to Action Working Group and other ways to get involved.

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Thank you!

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