Green Collar Jobs!

An innovative Green Collar Job Training Program piloted by the City of Santa Fe, the Santa Fe Alliance, and ¡YouthWorks! has put Santa Fe on the map as a leader in Sustainable Economic Development. All summer, six young people worked with local businesses on projects such as retrofitting low-income housing, installing solar hot water heating systems and applying innovative green building techniques in an affordable housing subdivision. The program couples on-the-job training with academic skill building and job counseling. The aim was to develop a community response to the rising drop-out rate and to address the difficulty many local business face finding qualified local employees. The program will serve over 35 youth in the next year and will target local businesses working in renewable energy, green building, energy efficiency, permaculture and xeriscape installation, and water conservation. When so much of the conversation about Green Collar Jobs remains in meeting rooms and policy papers, this initiative represents a practical, effective program that is already in full-swing. So far, six youth have worked with the following businesses:

• Shanahan and Associates - Apprentices have learned an array of green building skills working in one of the largest affordable green developments in Santa Fe.
• Los Amigos Educational Resource Center - Apprentices have been working with crews throughout 7 counties in northern NM helping low-income families & disadvantaged residents make their houses more energy efficient.
• Cedar Mountain Solar - Apprentices are learning plumbing and electrical
  skills installing solar hot water systems.
  (see photo pg. 179)

Tobe Bott Lyons speaks to ¡YouthWorks! Green Collar Training Program