East SideBuilding the People who Build the City
Powered by nature - and people
Last October, Urban Agenda and the Green Collar Jobs Roundtable launched their Green Collar Jobs Roadmap. The result of over a year of research into green jobs and workforce development best practices, initiated by a multi-stakeholder alliance of community programs, labor unions, business and training organizations, the Roadmap spells out a collective vision for incubating the workforce that will build a more environmentally sustainable New York City.
Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC includes some attention to the need for workforce development, with a Transformation to a Green Economy plan, but the Roadmap is an important addition. It details over 30 recommendations to help prepare New Yorkers for the green collar jobs coming from efforts such as the City Council’s Greener, Greater Buildings plan, passed in December. Investing in training, recruitment, business resources and other job-readiness infrastructure for all New Yorkers is crucial if the City expects to meet its sustainability goals, especially in these times of ever-increasing unemployment.
