A new playbook published by Advance CTE provides education and workforce leaders with strategies and resources to strengthen the connection between CTE and the green workforce. The playbook argues that as demand for green workers continues to grow, CTE programs are positioned to equip students with the academic and occupational knowledge necessary to enter this large and rapidly evolving field.
The playbook contains an overview of the current green economy and discusses how the specific components of CTE programs—from work-based learning to industry-recognized credentials—align with what green employers seek. Policy recommendations include the following:
- Expand Existing Coalitions to Include CTE and Green Workforce Experts: Invite CTE teachers, experts from green workforce organizations, green employers and other relevant stakeholders to join existing partnerships and networks.
- Leverage Trusted Organizations to Act as Intermediaries between CTE and Green Industries: Organizations such as workforce boards and green workforce organizations are positioned to connect CTE programs with green employers.
- Create or Expand Funding Uses to Include Green/Climate-aligned CTE Programs: Leverage local, state and federal funding sources to create and expand green CTE programs.
- Incorporate Green Skills into CTE Pathway Standards and Programs: Existing CTE programs should move to incorporate more green-related content, emphasizing the industry’s applicability across different career pathways.
- Institutionalize Secondary and Postsecondary CTE Educator Policy, Professional Development and Resources for the Green Workforce: CTE teacher professional development and learning opportunities should work to better integrate green workforce content.
- Integrate Green Careers into Career Awareness Campaigns: Beginning in elementary school, create campaigns that make students aware of green careers they can pursue.
- Establish Data-driven Research and Decision-making Processes Linked to Labor Conditions: Incorporate green workforce data into state longitudinal data systems and track CTE program outcomes.
In addition, the playbook provides implementation steps and examples of exemplary work being done under each recommendation. Initiatives in Massachusetts and Delaware, for instance, offer students and families detailed information on career and educational pathways that lead to jobs in green-related fields, such as clean energy and agriculture.
For practitioners interested in additional information, Advance CTE has published several other resources related to CTE and the green workforce, including a guide on incorporating green careers into the National Career Clusters Framework® and a case study of work being done in Delaware to better integrate environmental literacy into career pathways. MDRC has also published similar resources, such as this framework for connecting CTE programs with climate jobs.
