Like many countries around the world, the U.S. is at a critical moment for the development of infrastructure and workforce capacity necessary to facilitate a transition away from fossil fuels. In the next ten years, projections suggest that as many as 9 million high-quality jobs could be created in the green economy. This will require a trained workforce, yet over 70% of these jobs will not require a bachelor’s degree. Community colleges are well positioned to prepare students for these jobs. Workforce education is integral to their mission, and they often have strong connections to local industries. Many community colleges serve regions that are directly impacted by rising temperatures, stronger storms, drought, fire, and other effects of the warming planet. Finally, they enroll over 40% of undergraduates annually and serve the largest proportion of low-income, first-generation-in-college, and minoritized students in higher education, placing them in a position to ensure that the benefits of a green economy are distributed equitably and do not leave some people or communities behind.
However, researchers have yet to document the actions community colleges are taking nationally to prepare students for jobs in the green economy, or the incentives and barriers for community colleges to make these urgently needed changes to their workforce programs.
To address this gap, CCRC has developed an applied research agenda to build knowledge and tools to support community colleges in preparing students for high-value jobs in the green economy, including those in energy production, construction, transportation, agriculture, and other fields. The agenda is designed to surface regional variations in colleges’ responses to the green workforce transition, with a particular focus on the important role that rural and tribal community colleges can play in preparing workers for climate adaptation and mitigation. In addition, this project seeks to uncover approaches to reducing occupational segregation and expanding access to learners historically excluded from high-value career pathways. The agenda encompasses a landscape study, a community of practice to provide technical support to rural and tribal colleges engaged in green workforce development, and in-depth implementation research.
National Symposium and Call to Action
In the first phase of the project, CCRC hosted a half-day symposium at the AACC Annual Convening in April 2024 for community college, industry, and government leaders who are committed to developing and expanding training programs that prepare students for high quality jobs in the green economy. We spotlighted promising programs and initiatives already in place at community colleges, discussed funding opportunities, and identified unmet needs and opportunities for community colleges to serve as leaders in the green economic transition.
The symposium resulted in a Call to Action to elevate the role community colleges can and must play to address climate change, and the need for public and private sector response and coordination. This effort was supported by the Crimsonbridge Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, and the Rural Climate Partnership.
Landscape Study
Starting in October 2024, CCRC is partnering with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville to conduct a one-year landscape study of green training programs at U.S. community colleges. Researchers are analyzing community college students’ entry into and completion of educational pathways in fields of study linked to green occupations using Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Student Completions data, Lightcast economic data, and O*NET occupational data.
The quantitative analysis will be the first to report national-level statistics on how many community college students earn awards linked to green sector labor markets, and how completion rates in these programs have changed over time. Researchers will also examine to what extent green sector completions can be explained by demographic, regional, and economic characteristics. The analyses will include credentials awarded in emerging green occupations as well as traditional fields that are evolving to meet the needs of the green economy.
This study is funded by JP Morgan Global Philanthropy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
