Grant seekers go green
By Corey Murray, Published October 21, 2009

(Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt from an article in the October/November 2009 edition of the Community College Journal).

Looking to put some of its community members—many of whom have seen their jobs evaporate amid a troubled economy—back to work, administrators at Berkshire Community College (BCC) in Pittsfield, Mass., have committed as much as $200,000 in grant money to establish a new job corps that will give low-income or displaced workers free training toward a certificate in energy conservation.

At New Mexico’s Santa Fe Community College, educators plan to distribute more than $500,000 in state workforce training money to expand opportunities for students in “green” career sectors.

Colleges from coast to coast are committed to helping workers retool their careers for success in emerging job fields. Perhaps nowhere is that push more evident than in the alternative-energy and green job sectors, where the corporate appetite for specialized skill sets in such segments as wind, solar and conservation grows healthier by the day.

The question, for many, has been how to subsidize these educational investments, including staff and equipment, during an era of unprecedented fiscal belt tightening.

Whether through foundations (Civic Ventures and the MetLife Foundation recently awarded grants to community colleges for green jobs training) or through state or federal agencies (the

U.S. Department of Labor is reviewing applications for more than $500 million in job training funds made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act), some institutions are discovering that the answer lies not within the depleted line items of fiscal-year budgets, but in the ability to identify and to win grants.

“Everyone is talking about sustainability in light of the economic downturn and the need for sustainable careers in emerging industries,” says Bill Mulholland, BCC’s dean of lifelong learning and workforce development. “These types of projects cost money. That’s where grants can help.”

For colleges, though, the process of applying for and securing grants is tougher than some might think.

“I think it’s wonderful when you can get a grant,” says Debra Rowe, professor of energy management and renewable energy technology at Michigan’s Oakland Community College (OCC) and president of the U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development.

“But you need to have somebody who is willing to put the time in, either to write the grant itself for the community colleges or to do a partnership with other members of the community.”

Rowe, who has dedicated much of her time to combing the public domain to keep abreast of green job opportunities, says it’s imperative that colleges do their homework before investing time and money into applying for grants.

“Sometimes it’s hard to identify where this money is coming from,” she says. “But there are resources out there to help you get started.”

The American Association of Community Colleges hosts its own resource page for green jobs and opportunities. Other organizations, such as American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, the Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium, and the Consortium for Education in Renewable Energy Technology, have resources to help colleges identify opportunities and begin curriculum planning.

Still not sure how to launch your program? Sometimes the best resources can be found right in your own backyard. Experts recommend that colleges talk to and collaborate with local business partners—and that they identify what sorts of green jobs are likely to thrive in their communities. Is there a need for wind, photovoltaic, or solar energy technicians, for instance? Can certifications in these or other conservation methods serve the needs of employers across different job sectors?

Back at BCC, educators plan to use a large portion of the money from the college’s most recent grant award to train workers as air sealers—technicians who check homes and businesses for potentially costly air leaks. Though the jobs appear low on most career trajectories, Mulholland says, the skills these workers acquire during the certification process, such as specialized math and conservation techniques, will create value for employers as new opportunities crop up throughout the region.

“What we need to do as a community college is keep pushing that career ladder up in terms of incumbent worker development,” says Mulholland. “By lifting these people up on all of these basic skills, the hope is that they will be more employable across the board.”

BCC also is in the process of developing a hands-on Renewable Energy Resource Training Center (much of the funding for which was provided through an earlier earmark for the college), where administrators will build out advanced training courses in wind, solar, and photovoltaic technologies.

When considering a grant to help establish a green jobs training program, Mulholland offers this advice:

• Plan in advance.
• Identify local needs.
• Talk with partners in the business community and other colleges.
• Define what resources are necessary to succeed.
• Find a way to secure those resources.
• Lead by example: Practice what you preach by incorporating sustainability into the flow of your own campus operations.

More than anything, he says, it’s important for colleges to pool their resources.

BCC, for example, often works with a consortium of local business partners and trade and vocational schools to identify needs. Leaders from each of these groups participate in conference calls to hash out best practices and avoid duplicative efforts.

“The most important component in this green movement is that nobody can go it alone,” says Mulholland. “You need that collaboration of resources, which includes a huge untapped resource in the vocational and technical schools. Get together and ask the question: What is missing?”

It’s a good question, and given the relative youth of the green movement, one that’s tough for many colleges to answer. Whether in California or Massachusetts, it seems no one is sure what green technology will emerge as the frontrunner in alternative-energy production.

“The green jobs training money has come out a little ahead of all of these energy optimization and green economy programs that will create the demand for workers,” says OCC’s Rowe.

The key, she says, is to build programs that are malleable enough to benefit changing needs.

At OCC, for example, administrators have used grant money and other funding to create a flexible degree designed to meet the needs of students in any number of career sectors.

 Murray is managing editor of the Community College Journal.