project

Green Skill Requirements

for Green Job VacanciesAlessia Leibert

Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development

www.PositivelyMinnesota.com

The Research Project

• Period: Dec 2009–May 2011 (four survey rounds)

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

• Methodology: Builds off Minnesota Job Vacancy Survey• Adds telephone interview on each potentially green job

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

Overall Findings

• From Fall 2009 - Fall 2010 green vacancies have consistently been found to represent about 2% of all vacancies.

• Green job vacancies appear to follow a similar growth path as non-green vacancies.

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

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%

Skills Research

Adopting O*NET conceptual framework, 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 are the most commonly required skills in green job vacancies (69%), followed by math (60%).

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

• Mechanical and science knowledge are the most commonly required knowledge categories in green job vacancies.

• Overall science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) areas are most typical for green jobs.

Other Skills and Knowledge (preliminary)

• Project Management Skills: Many green activities are related to complex projects (site remediation, sustainable construction, conservation planning)

• Knowledge of lean or Six Sigma principles

• Knowledge of Computer Modeling Programs (hydrologic/hydraulic models, geological models, energy models, and 3-D graphical modeling applications) and geospatial data applications (GIS, GPS)

Unexpected Results

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 (air/water quality, prevention versus treatment of pollution)

• A new way of combining/applying existing skills and knowledge in a multi-disciplinary fashion

What was New?

Results prove that some occupations are more likely than others to need add-on knowledge for performing green-related work. These are:

• Some O*NET Enhanced Skills occupations (Environmental Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, HVAC Technicians) and many New & Emerging occupations (Energy Engineers, Sustainability Specialists).

• Vacancies that were newly created (as opposed to replacement hiring). One-fourth of newly created positions were in New & Emerging occupations.

New & Emerging Green Occupations

Energy EngineerAir Quality

Control Specialist

Lean Manufacturing Engineer

Supply Chain Manager

Water/Wastewater Engineer

Energy Auditor

Wind Turbine Technician Sustainability Coordinator

Environmental Restoration Planner

Environmental Compliance Manager

Recycling Workers

Future Research Steps

• Conduct a fourth survey round to make the data more robust.

• Identify green tools and technologies that might need special training or expertise.

• Conduct an in-depth analysis of skills/knowledge examples, with special focus on newly created positions and “hard to fill” positions.

For More Information

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

– More research findings by occupation and industry– Fall 2010 survey results– Articles on green manufacturing and green

entrepreneurship– Links to career information as it becomes available

Contact: Alessia LeibertSenior Research Analyst, LMI, DEED

Alessia.Leibert@state.mn.us

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