About Green Jobs
What is a Green Job?
SVEP provides full or partial scholarships to eligible workers for green job training. But what is a green job?
SVEP defines green jobs as those with a direct, positive impact on both the economy and the environment. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics defines them as either:
- Jobs in businesses that produce goods or provide services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources or
- Jobs in which workers’ duties involve making their establishment’s production processes more environmentally friendly or use fewer natural resources.
Green jobs are found in nearly all industries and occupations. They may be new jobs or traditional jobs in fields that are adapting to new markets and opportunities available in a clean energy economy. Green jobs fall into three categories:
- Green Increased Demand Jobs – These are existing jobs that are in high demand right now.
- Green Enhanced Skills Jobs – These are traditional jobs that have been adapted to the green economy by altering some tasks, skills, knowledge and/or external elements (such as credentials).
- Green New & Emerging Jobs – These jobs may be completely new, or may be offshoots of an existing occupation, both the result of new green economy activities and technologies.
Who are Green Job Workers?
The green industry has created new occupations, increased demand for some existing occupations, and enhanced task, skill and knowledge requirements for other occupations. Green job workers are people at all levels of the earnings and skills spectrum, from professional-level managers, architects and engineers to skilled tradespeople (these positions are often called green collar jobs).
Many existing companies have changed the way they do business by incorporating environmental practices. Others have created completely new green jobs.
SVEP looks at current and industry trends to spot areas where specialized training and credentials are needed and will be needed in the future. Our programs focus primarily on jobs in manufacturing, construction and maintenance because right now the green sector is driven mainly by businesses, industries and homeowners with interest in environmental protection, energy planning and resource efficiency.
