USGBC-NCC is recruiting employers to participate in the Green Employers Council. Members provide green-collar job opportunities for the Oakland Green Jobs Corps--a job training program providing “green pathways out of poverty” for young adults in Oakland. The Council consists of businesses and nonprofits working in the energy efficiency, renewable energy, and green building sectors in the Oakland/East Bay area.
Current Green Employers Council Members include: Swinerton Builders, Sustainable Spaces and Solar City.
Employers will benefit by having access to a qualified, job-ready workforce, special recognition on the USGBC-NCC website, as well as high-profile media exposure through connection with the Oakland Green Jobs Corps. The program trains participants in skilled trades, carpentry, solar installation, energy efficiency, green construction, and in principles of environmental sustainability. Stipends may be available to employers interested in hiring a worker from this program.
This is a great opportunity for USGBC-NCC members to hire well trained workers and make a contribution to society at the same time. As Oakland Mayor Dellums said when he opened the historic launch of the Oakland Green Jobs Corps, "this is a very elegant idea - elegant in its simplicity, to fight pollution and fight poverty simultaneously."
About the Oakland Green Jobs Corps Partnership
The Oakland Green Jobs Corps is a job training program providing “green pathways out of poverty” for young adults in Oakland facing barriers to employment. The program provides job-readiness training, ongoing support services, and on-the-job training, enabling trainees to pursue careers in green industries. The program launched in Fall 2008 in partnership with Laney College, the Cypress Mandela Construction Training Program, Growth Sector Inc, and the Ella Baker Center. Oakland Mayor Dellums awarded a $250,000 check to the three organizations that were selected to run
the Oakland Green Jobs Corps: Cypress Mandela Training Center, Laney
College, and Growth Sector.
The Oakland Green Jobs Corps
The program is made up of four stages:
- Stage I: Involves outreach, recruitment, and assessment of low-income young adults in Oakland.
-
Stage II: Provide recruits with an introduction to the skilled trades, carpentry, GED preparation, basic literacy and math, job readiness and more.
- Stage III: Focuses on the education and training specifically needed for green-collar employment and earns student community college credit. Education and training will emphasize solar installation, energy efficiency in buildings, green construction, and an introduction to the principles of ecology, environmental sustainability, and environmental justice.
- Stage IV: The final stage is paid work experience and on-the-job training led jointly by Cypress Mandela and Growth Sector (a workforce intermediary connecting employers, government, and community agencies). The program will provide case management and support services for both employers and trainees throughout this phase to maximize retention and success.
Job Retention
75% job retention rate. Instructors make sure training is consistently relevant to current industry needs. The Cypress Mandela program is a prime recruiting source for the trades industry, consistently producing well-prepared graduates.
Employment Outcomes
The program will place graduates in full time jobs with solar firms and green construction contractors. The typical starting wage in the solar industry is $15 per hour. The wages for starting apprentices in the construction trades range from $12 to $16 per hour. Cypress Mandela has a long history of close relationships with the Alameda County Building Trades Council, the building trades unions, and developers, general contractors, and subcontractors. The Oakland Green Employer Council and PG&E subcontractors will provide other placements, especially those related to solar firms and energy efficiency firms. Stipends may be available to employers interested in hiring a worker from this program.
Interested in becoming a Green Employer Council Member? Please visit contact Ashleigh Talberth for more
information.
Learn More about the Green Employers Council.
|
Get Involved 
