Green Pathways Out of Poverty: Workforce Development Initiatives

Workforce development practitioners face a set of common questions about services, partnerships, curriculum, certifications, links to employers, funding and measuring their results.  On March 30 and 31, 2009, Green For All convened a working group of practitioners focused on providing green pathways out of poverty to start developing shared answers to these shared questions.  Participants spent the two days connecting with each other, sharing expertise, and collaborating in order to produce new knowledge that will advance the field.  This group began to identify the best practices and resources that make effective workforce development projects in green jobs.  By the end of the two-day meeting, it had identified five keys to success for green workforce development.  These keys, when combined with effective leadership and staff, help these programs serve the workers the programs train, the businesses and industry they support, and the environment they aim to protect.

This document is a product of that two-day meeting and links to resources recommended by Community of Practice members.  It is meant to guide and support anyone seeking to create pathways out of poverty through green job training.