Project Green Skill Requirements for Green Job Vacancies Oriane Casale Assistant Director Labor Market Information Office Minnesota Department of Employment.

projectGreen Skill Requirements

for Green Job VacanciesOriane Casale

Assistant Director Labor Market Information Office

Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development

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The Research Project

Period: October 2009 to June 2011 (four survey rounds)

Goal: Count and characterize green job vacancies in Minnesota; develop career info on green jobs.

Methodology: Builds off the Minnesota Job Vacancy Survey

• Adds telephone interview on potentially green jobs to­ confirm the environmental activities of each

position.­ gather qualitative information on skill and

knowledge requirements, job duties, and hiring difficulty.

• Adds in-depth interviews with key companies in key sectors.

MN Definition of Green Job

Directly and/or essentially related to a green process, green product, or green

service and engaged for at least 50% of the time

in:• Environmental regulation, research, or advocacy

• Sustainable agriculture or natural resource conservation

• Environmental cleanup• Energy efficiency• Renewable energy or alternative fuels

Green Sectors

12%

16%

26%

31%

14%

Compliance,Regulation, Research

Natural Resource Conservation

Environmental Cleanup

Energy Ef-ficiency

Renewable Energy and Alternative Fuels

Overall Findings

• From Fall 2009 - Fall 2010 green vacancies have consistently been about 2% of all vacancies. So not growing faster or slower than overall economy.

• Translates to an average of 670 vacancies per quarter.

• Characteristics of green vacancies are different from economy wide vacancies.

Quality

Quality of green jobs is higher:

• 88% of green job vacancies were full-time positions, versus 12% part-time.

• Wages tend to be higher, probably because these positions require more education/experience. Data will be available on green career website by the end of September.

Qualifications

• 70% of all green vacancies need school or training beyond a high school diploma.

• 80% require work experience.

• 12% require a license.

• 5% require a certification. Common green certifications include LEED Accredited Professional (AP) and Certified Energy Manager (CEM).

Educational Characteristics of Green Vacancies

Education Categories

Green Vacancies

All Vacancie

sH.S./GED degree or less 29% 51%Vocational degree 23% 9%Associate’s degree 6% 6%Bachelor’s degree 38% 21%Advanced degree 3% 5%No response 1% 8%

Experience Characteristics of Green Vacancies

Experience Requirements

Green Vacancie

s

All Vacancie

sNo experience 16% 27%Some work experience 23% 30%Field-related experience 57% 35%No response 5% 8%

Newly Created vs. Replacements

Split 50/50 between newly created position and replacement hiring

Two forms of expansion hiring:

1. Increased staffing for green tasks.

2. Creation of entirely new positions with an exclusively green purpose. One-fourth of newly created positions were identified as green N&E occupations (Sustainability Coordinator, etc).

Labor Force Gaps?

Employers had no difficulty recruiting for green jobs, even jobs requiring the most experience.

Rare cases of hiring difficulties were due to lack of:

• Experience in a specific industry (especially emerging markets like renewable energy).

• Experience with specialized engineering design.• Special combinations of technical experience

and non-technical knowledge, possibly suggesting the need for more multidisciplinary training.

Skills Research

We asked a series of questions on skills necessary for the position:

• Supervisory• Project Management• Mathematics (from basic to advanced)• Technology Design• Information Technology• Technical Skills

Knowledge Research

We also asked the importance of the following knowledge areas:

• Legal• Science• Mechanical (both skill and knowledge)• Sales or Marketing• Construction• Other

Skills and Knowledge Findings(preliminary)

• Technical skills were the most commonly required skills in green job vacancies (69%), followed by math (60%).

• Technical and math skills combined were required in 55% of all green estimated vacancies.

• Mechanical and science knowledge are the most commonly required knowledge categories.

• Overall Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) areas were most typical for green work.

• Project Management skills were needed in 20% of cases.

In-demand S&K

Rather than “new” skills, we are finding specialized expertise in traditional areas with some add-ons typically associated with:

• The use of new technologies• A new way of approaching an issue• A new way of combining/applying

existing skills and knowledge in a multi-disciplinary fashion

S&K Trends – Employer Quotes

“No new skills, but as we see a greening of the economy this position will have to stay on top of changing issues and regulations.”

“As new technologies come along, employees in this position must train for them.”

“Ongoing learning will become essential to this position as the field evolves with new technologies.”

Most Impacted Occupations

Environmental Engineers and Technicians

Architects

MechanicalEngineers, Techn. and

Drafters

Hydrologists and Geologists

Electrical Engineers, Techn. and Drafters

Plumbers and Estimators

Chemists and Chemical Engineers

HVAC Technicians

Industrial and Civil Engineers Marketing Managers

Compliance Officers Supervisors/Managers of Construction Workers

Business Operations Specialists

Hazardous Material Removal Workers

New & Emerging Green Occupations

EnergyEngineer

Air Quality Control Specialist

Lean Manufacturing Engineer

Supply ChainManager

Water/Wastewater Engineer

EnergyAuditor

Wind Turbine Technician Sustainability Coordinator

EnvironmentalRestoration Planner

EnvironmentalCompliance Manager

Recycling Workers

Specialized Green Knowledge

• Energy Efficiency: Understand the principles of energy conservation

• Waste Management: Identify, minimize or reduce waste and manage hazardous waste

• Pollution Monitoring and Control: Monitor pollution through scientific measures and design solutions for prevention and mitigation

• Environmental Regulations: Knowledge of firm and government policies, regulation and permitting

• Natural Resource Conservation and Management : Plan and implement conservation practices

Specialized Green Knowledge (Continued)

• Lean Production and Operation Systems: Knowledge of lean principles, processes, and tools to reduce waste and promote long-term sustainability

• Commercialization of Green Products: Knowledge of industry trends and customer needs to introduce, promote, and distribute green products/services

• Computer Modeling Programs/Tools : Knowledge of software applications to track pollution sources and simulate impact of design decisions on energy consumption.

• Spatial Analysis and Management of Geospatial Data: GIS for environmental design and natural resource management

Soft Skills

• Learning: To apply evolving and new knowledge

• Communicating /Collaborating: To function effectively within multidisciplinary and multi-functional teams

• Critical Thinking, Problem-Solving, and Advanced Troubleshooting: To recognize, assess and resolve increasingly complex environmental problems

• Persuading: To influence change within an organization or communicate benefits of innovative green products to prospective customers

For More Information

www.positivelyminnesota.com/Data_Publications/Data/Green_Jobs/index.aspx

• Final report and findings• Articles on green manufacturing and green

entrepreneurship

Contact: Oriane CasaleAssistant Director of LMI Office, DEED

[email protected]

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