The Greenforce Initiative underway on community college campuses

With jobs in the country’s emerging clean energy sector growing two and half times as fast as jobs overall, NWF has partnered with national non-profit Jobs for the Future on a two-year project that will spur green jobs education, innovation and training at community colleges in the United States.

The Greenforce Initiative™, announced today, will provide high-quality assistance to community colleges to strengthen their capacity to develop, expand, or refine green pathway programs designed for lower-skilled adults or non-traditional students who cannot currently access such programs.

A 2009 study found that the number of jobs in America’s emerging clean energy economy grew at a national rate of 9.1 percent between 1998 and 2007, while traditional jobs increased by only 3.7 percent during the same time period.

Furthermore, research shows that clean energy investments at the level of about $150 billion per year can generate around 1.7 million net new jobs throughout the economy.

The initiative has created six regional Learning and Action Networks and has partnered with community colleges in North Carolina, Northern Virginia, Chicago, South Texas, Seattle and Michigan.

Support for the commitment comes from a two-year, $1 million grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, while a two-year, $250,000 grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation supports the initiative’s implementation in Michigan. Addition funds provided by The Kendeda Fund.