Deploying 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030 will require a significant boost in new skilled workers because too few are available to meet demand, Jeremy Stefek, a researcher at the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, said during a webinar on Thursday.
An increase in training and apprenticeship programs can help meet that need, and NREL believes that as new skilled workers are being trained, workers in adjacent industries like maritime oil should be recruited.
Safety certifications for offshore wind projects also need to be standardized, Stefek said.
Michigan expects about 3,000 new job openings related to electric vehicles this year, and it aspires to upwards of 290,000 more by 2030.
To fill those jobs — particularly in electrical engineering and software — the state is now targeting college students with a new recruiting campaign and scholarship program.
The Michigander EV Scholars program, announced on Wednesday, offers up to $10,000 to 350 university students who can use the money toward tuition, but who also must commit to remaining in Michigan for 12 months with one of eight EV-related companies participating in the program.
The job market and growth for sustainability careers or green jobs has grown rapidly in recent years due to increasing public and corporate interest in addressing environmental and social issues. According to the World Economic Forum, in 2015, the ratio of US oil and gas jobs to renewables and environment jobs was 5:1, but by 2020 this ratio had inched closer to 2:1. The WEF predicts that renewables and sustainability professions could actually outnumber oil and gas in total jobs on their platform within the next couple of years, a major pendulum shift towards green jobs in a relatively short period.
Approximately 875,000 Americans already hold jobs related to sustainability, renewable energy, and conservation. Over the next decade, the number of green jobs in the U.S. is expected to grow by another 114,000, or 9%. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IREA), the renewable energy sector employed 11 million people globally in 2021. The solar photovoltaic (PV) industry alone employed 3.4 million people. In the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the fastest-growing occupation from 2019 to 2029 is expected to be wind turbine service technicians, with a growth rate of 61%.
Some of the fastest-growing sustainability jobs include:
Students who are watching increasingly dangerous and more frequent storms batter cities and seeing families fleeing wildfires want more information on how climate change might shape their career choices.
In fact, 30 percent of the roughly 1,000 teenagers surveyed by the EdWeek Research Center last fall said they wanted to learn more about job opportunities related to sustainability and climate change. But few are hearing about those kinds of careers in school: 22 percent of teachers say they talk to students about those kinds of career opportunities.
To meet today’s global sustainability challenges, the corporate world needs more than a few chief sustainability officers – it needs an army of employees, in all areas of business, thinking about sustainability in their decisions every day.
That means product designers, supply managers, economists, scientists, architects and many others with the knowledge to both recognize unsustainable practices and find ways to improve sustainability for the overall health of their companies and the planet.
Employers are increasingly looking for those skills. We analyzed job ads from a global database and found a tenfold increase in the number of jobs with “sustainability” in the title over the last decade, reaching 177,000 in 2021.
What’s troubling is that there are not enough skilled workers to meet the rapid growth in green and sustainability jobs available.
While the number of “green jobs” grew globally at a rate of 8% per year over the last five years, the number of people listing green skills in their profiles only grew by 6% per year, according to a LinkedIn analysis of its nearly 800 million users.
When employees are trained to think about sustainable materials and processes, they can improve corporate innovation and the bottom line. Sona Srinarayana/ASU
As professors who train future workers in sustainability principles and techniques, we see several effective ways for people at all stages of their careers to gain those skills and increase those numbers.
But green jobs go well beyond solar panel installation and wind turbine maintenance.
Sustainable fashion is one of the fastest-growing green jobs sectors, averaging a 90% growth rate annually between 2016 and 2020.
The rapid expansion of ESG investing – environment, social and governance – and portfolio management is opening up new jobs in sustainable finance. In 2021, the accounting firm PwC announced that it would invest US$12 billion and create 100,000 new jobs in ESG investing by 2026.
In 2013, when the Rockefeller Foundation launched 100 Resilient Cities, a network to help cities become more sustainable, few cities had a resilience or sustainability officer. Today, more than 250 communities and 1,000 local government professionals are part of the Urban Sustainability Directors Network.
Most sustainability and green jobs require creative problem-solving, synthesizing and technical skills. Some of those skills can be learned on the job, but boosting the number of qualified job applicants will require more effective and accessible training opportunities that target employers’ needs. Here are a some training sources to consider.
University programs: Sustainability is increasingly being incorporated into a wide range of university programs. Fifteen years ago, sustainability training was mostly ad hoc – a product designer or economist might have taken a class in sustainability approaches from the environmental science department. Today, U.S. universities have about 3,000 programs with a “sustainability” label, up from 13 in 2008.
A National Academies report recommends looking for a competency-based approach to sustainability learning that blends content with skills and links knowledge to action to solve problems and develop solutions.
Micro-credentials: For mid-career employees who don’t have the time to reinvest in full-fledged degrees, short courses and micro-credentials offered by universities, colleges or professional groups offer one way to develop sustainability skills.
U.S. architect Michael Reynolds holds four-week, hands-on training sessions, primarily for architects, in sustainable design principles, construction methods and philosophy. Participation can count toward Western Colorado University’s Master in Environmental Management graduate degree. Pablo Porciuncula/AFP via Getty Images
Short courses and micro credentials take up less time and are much less expensive than college degree programs. That may also help lower-income individuals train for sustainability jobs and diversify the field.
Specializations: A similar option is jobs-focused online certificate programs with a sustainability specialization.
For example, Google teamed up with universities to provide online courses for project managers, and Arizona State University is offering a sustainability specialization to accompany it. Project management is an area where the U.S. Department of Labor expects to see fast job growth, with 100,000 job openings in the next decade.
Sustainable packaging design that reduces costs and reuses materials is an area ripe for innovation in many companies as consumer shipping increases. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Integrating sustainability across all functions of companies will require some level of sustainability training and understanding for most if not all employees. Companies like Starbucks, HSBC, Salesforce and Microsoft have created internal training programs to spread sustainability knowledge and practice throughout their companies, not just for employees who have sustainability in their titles.
Closing the gap
A recent survey by Microsoft and BCG of major companies found that only 43% of sustainability professionals in businesses had sustainability-related degrees, and 68% of sustainability leaders were hired internally.
It’s clear that on-the-job sustainability training and up-skilling will be necessary to fill the growing number of roles inside of companies.
To meet the sustainability skills gap, we believe more training will be required – at colleges and universities, by professional organizations and from employers. Achieving global sustainability and meeting climate change challenges will become more likely as legions of people commit their working hours to sustainability solutions.
Zero waste jobs are opportunities to support workers in overburdened communities, according to the National Zero Waste Conference, but they must prioritize circularity and environmental justice.
Salary:Minimum $65,000 annual (12 months) Applications due: January 3, 2023 and must be submitted online. This position is partial remote.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Office of Sustainability seeks a Sustainability Communications and Engagement Manager to play a central role in designing and implementing strategic communications efforts, as well as maintaining the institution’s sustainability designations, providing support for Office of Sustainability project managers, working closely with students, and assisting with administrative tasks as needed.
The Office of Sustainability is the hub for sustainability news, events, and engagement opportunities at the University of Wisconsin Madison. It is part of the the Division of Facilities Planning & Management (FP&M), a full-spectrum service organization that builds, maintains, and operates the physical environment of the UW-Madison campus in support of the university’s education, research, and outreach activities. FP&M works behind the scenes to coordinate campus planning, manage design and construction, maintain and operate buildings and grounds, supply utility services, ensure health and safety, and provide parking and transportation services.
Responsibilities
Develops and supervises the execution of communication programs and may supervise personnel and/or other resources in support of institutional or unit communication goals.
15% Manages the day-to-day operational unit plans to align with strategic initiatives and to meet established objectives
30% Plans, writes, and edits content for various internal and external stakeholders
5% Plans and directs unit programs and/or projects to ensure adherence to deadlines and budgets
5% Identifies, proposes, and implements new or revised unit operational policies and procedures
30% Develops, implements, and delivers communication materials through various mediums to designated audiences
5% Assists with supervising of student interns on the communications and podcast teams, in collaboration with the Student Intern Program Manager
5% Develops the institution’s sustainability brand by identifying, pursuing, and maintaining certifications, designations, and other accolades that recognize the breadth of the university’s sustainability efforts.
5% Supports subject matter experts and others at the Office of Sustainability in project and program management.
Required qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, sustainability, environmental studies, psychology, sociology, or similar field.
Minimum of three (3) years of professional experience in communications, marketing, editing, or similar field.
Demonstrated experience in writing and publishing for a variety of media channels and platforms, such as web, e-news, social media, video scriptwriting, and/or print publications.
Excellent editorial skills and attention to detail.
Demonstrated experience in developing and curating visual content, such as graphics and branding collateral, for print, digital, web, and/or social media.
Demonstrated experience with project management, including ability to be self-motivated and to work collaboratively under tight deadlines.
Facility with social media and other information technology tools, such as e-marketing tools, web editing (WordPress), and/or CRM.
Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team in a complex, fast-paced setting.
Preferred qualifications
Advanced degree in communications, marketing, sustainability, environmental studies, or similar field.
Professional experience working in a sustainability-related field.
Experience working in an academic environment.
Experience in event planning and execution.
Experience dealing with challenges through influence rather than authority.
Knowledge of, and experience with, content strategy, user interface/user experience best practices and methods, and web accessibility best practices.
Experience in photography and videography, including production and editing.
Experience with audio editing and production, preferably in a podcast context.
Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background – people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.
For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion
The federal wildland firefighting workforce is composed of approximately 18,700 firefighters (including fire management and support staff) from the Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service and from four agencies in the Department of the Interior. The Interior agencies are the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service. GAO identified seven barriers to recruitment and retention of federal wildland firefighters through analysis of interviews with agency officials and 16 nonfederal stakeholders and a review of documents (see fig.).
Commonly Cited Barriers to Recruitment and Retention of Federal Wildland Firefighters
Low pay was the most commonly cited barrier to recruiting and retaining federal wildland firefighters. Officials and all 16 stakeholders stated that the pay, which starts at $15 per hour for entry-level positions, is low. Officials and eight stakeholders also noted that the pay does not reflect the risk or physical demands of the work. Moreover, officials and stakeholders said that in some cases, firefighters can earn more at nonfederal firefighting entities or for less dangerous work in other fields, such as food service. The Forest Service and Interior agencies have taken steps to help address this barrier. For example, in 2022, the agencies worked with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to address a provision of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act calling for the agencies to increase firefighter salaries by the lesser of $20,000 or 50 percent of base salary in locations where it is difficult to recruit or retain wildland firefighters. In June 2022, the agencies announced that the salary increase would apply to wildland firefighters in all geographic locations, as their analysis indicated that recruitment and retention challenges existed in all locations. The act authorized funding for the wildland firefighter provisions, including those related to salary increases, for fiscal years 2022 through 2026, and appropriated some funding toward those provisions.
The Forest Service and Interior are taking steps to address other barriers as well. For example, to help improve work-life balance for firefighters, the Forest Service increased the size of some firefighting crews, a change intended to allow crew members to more easily take time off for rest or personal reasons, according to Forest Service officials. In addition, in fiscal year 2021, 84 percent of federal firefighters identified as men and 72 percent identified as White. To increase diversity, the agencies have recruited women and underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, including through a wildland firefighter apprentice program. The agencies are also taking steps to improve mental health services and hiring practices.
Why GAO Did This Study
In recent decades, the size and severity of wildfires has increased across much of the United States, as has the length of wildfire seasons. For example, the total acres burned across the United States has doubled over the past 20 years, breaking records in many states. These increases are straining the federal wildland firefighting workforce.
GAO was asked to examine federal agencies’ efforts to hire and retain wildland firefighters. This report describes barriers to recruiting and retaining federal wildland firefighters, including women firefighters, and steps that agencies have taken to address those barriers.
To identify and describe these barriers, GAO reviewed laws, regulations, and program guidance and other agency documents. GAO also interviewed senior officials from the Forest Service and Interior, including both wildland fire and human capital managers, and from OPM.
To get a broader perspective on barriers, GAO interviewed a nongeneralizable sample of 16 nonfederal stakeholders, such as nongovernmental organizations involved in firefighting issues. GAO identified stakeholders through a review of documents and interviews with officials, and GAO asked those interviewed to suggest others. GAO selected stakeholders found to be most engaged with issues associated with recruiting and retaining federal wildland firefighters. GAO also conducted a literature search to corroborate information on barriers.
For more information, contact Cardell Johnson at (202) 512-3841 or JohnsonCD1@gao.gov.
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