Just this last week, the ACEEE Inclusive Workforce working group held its final, collaborative meeting. During this meeting, I was introduced to an online tool that I think can change the trajectory of how we educate individuals about the potential career opportunities that all tie into the sectors that our work crosses into (Energy, Climate, Environment, etc.). The Green Buildings Career Map (created by IREC) offers a high-level overview of the opportunities for job entry into industries like facility management, construction, or even commercial retrofitting.

Before diving into how you can use the tool, there was a key element that was mentioned at the beginning of this presentation that made me stop and think about all the EE workforce education I have seen over the last couple of years. “Most workers in the efficiency workforce primarily identify as other workforces- construction, manufacturing, services, etc.” I found this to be an interesting perspective that I never gave much thought too- that this could be a much larger issue than I initially realized. Is it the lack of identity that is the issue at hand? Think about it- trades or industries like the ones mentioned above have been in existence for years and years which is why it is so easy to identify with them, but EE (while it’s not “new”) has not been ingrained into society for as long. Look at it this way, I would categorize myself in the clean energy industry, however a public agency engineer would be more opt to fall into the engineering or government category even though it is more than likely that they still tackle energy efficiency work.

Prior to sharing the breakdown of the career map, IREC shared that “In terms of what has the most impact on the decision to stay with an employer, more than half of Millennials (53 percent) said it is career pathing - mapping of incremental progression to new roles in the company” (MRINetwork Survey, 2017). This further supports IREC’s decision to include the three levels of growth opportunity for careers in the four job categories listed. Diversifying the offerings within the career map that provide not just one route but several that include incremental progression can recruit an entirely new demographic of people.

The small white circles on the chart signify a specific job opportunity for within the designated categories provided. For example, an Entry Level position under the “Residential and Multifamily Construction & Retrofitting” will populate in the lower right box. From an EE Program Assistant to a Building Performance Installer, “an ambitious worker could progress within any of these occupations or seek the skills and credentials to advance between them".”

I want to shift gears and focus primarily on the “New Collar Jobs” category that you see above in the green box in the upper right corner. “Many companies are no longer looking for white-collar or blue-collar workers, but instead new-collar workers: individuals who develop the technical and soft skills needed to work in jobs through nontraditional education paths.” In fact, 32 of the jobs listed on the career map do not require a college degree! We have covered this before- a college degree is not applicable for everyone. Whether you are graduating high school, switching career paths, or simply do not have resources allocated to pursue a bachelor’s degree- the career map can still provide you with meaningful and successful opportunities. “The U.S. Labor Department says the country is facing a significant shortfall of skilled workers. Many companies are no longer looking for white-collar or blue-collar workers,” which is why education of new-collar jobs is key to expanding our workforce and will enhance EE “workforce identity.”

Source: https://greenbuildingscareermap.org/