California fact-finding mission
Paul Gough (MD of Green Collar Training) and Mick Brophy (Vice Principal of Gateshead College) recently visited the San Francisco Bay area of California to learn about US initiatives on green collar training and jobs.
The fact-finding mission included visits to local colleges and community-based initiatives, as well as discussions with key policy-makers. A number of topics were covered, including:
- The greening of college curricula
- The awareness of the green economy, green collar jobs and skills
- Marketing and delivery of green collar courses
- Practical home energy efficiency projects
- Hybrid and electric vehicle training projects
- Green construction initiatives
- The greening of existing jobs
Opportunities for collaboration and joint working were identified and explored. The visit provided a valuable chance to compare and contrast the approaches of different training providers in the Bay Area (San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and Richmond) with those of the North East of England.
Paul Gough said "Our US colleagues are facing similar challenges - notably, climate change and the depletion of resources – and there is rapid innovation in all aspects of training to meet the new demands of a green economy. We can learn a great deal from the US approach, but they can also benefit from our own ground-breaking experience in areas such as NAC's new Green Collar Diploma and Gateshead College's work on green construction skills."
September 29, 2009