Green jobs slow to grow

Millions of dollars have flowed into Snohomish County over the last few years as part of a national effort to create a green workforce.

Unfortunately, the demand for those workers hasn’t lived up to expectations, leaving recently trained residents searching for jobs that don’t exist.

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ast year, Paul Pfister, 40, of Lake Stevens, lost his job when his employer shut down its local construction division.

With 15 years of management under his belt, Pfister joined thousands of construction workers on the unemployment lines. Four months later, Pfister enrolled in a short-term energy auditing certificate program through Cascadia Community College in Bothell. He graduated in mid-March.

So far, the training hasn’t translated into a job for Pfister.

“There aren’t a lot of jobs out there in this area,” Pfister said. “I’m not finding a lot of success so far.”

By the end of the year, nearly 200 students will graduate from local community colleges with certificates and two-year degrees geared for jobs in the green economy. Their government-funded training was considered a way to get people back to work.

As many students like Pfister are finding that the jobs just aren’t here.

Last fall, the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County surveyed 194 green industry companies about job openings in the coming year. Companies anticipated hiring 42 workers through October 2011.

“People thought green was going to be a magic wand,” said Sue Ambler, director of the Workforce Development Council of Snohomish County, which has worked with King County in creating training programs.

Millions of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars went into workforce development programs across the country to train the jobless in energy efficiency. Snohomish County received $3.6 million, which was distributed mostly between Edmonds and Cascadia community colleges.

Determining what green jobs are, and predicting which ones will be needed and when, hasn’t been easy. Add in the short-term training restraint and you’ve got a recipe for mediocre results.

Training and near-term hiring

Many of the colleges focused on energy efficiency and technician training. Energy auditing is one of the most prevalent programs developed in recent years.

Everyone thought there would be a boom for energy auditors, said Mel Oyler, who created Cascadia’s two-year energy audit specialist program. But a lot of the government funding that started the auditor buzz never materialized.

In the audit field, particularly for commercial buildings, Oyler sees “a lot of work but not a lot of jobs.”

In a 2010 study, the Seattle-King County workforce agency estimated the number of green jobs by titles that the state will need by 2018. For positions such as energy auditor, the council projected a 5.6 percent increase. However, no baseline of auditors employed in Washington was given, nor was there a total number of estimated jobs — just a 5.6 percent increase.

Alison Pugh, who developed Edmonds Community College’s two-year energy management program, points to missed opportunities that, if seized, would have created jobs. For instance, last year, Washingtonians voted down Referendum 52, which would have allowed the state to use $505 million in bonds for energy efficiency projects in public schools. Supporters said it would have created jobs, like the ones for which Edmonds and Cascadia are training their students.

Pugh and Oyler said they’re trying to provide students with more than the technical skills needed for green jobs. Both colleges offer certificates other than for energy auditor. Pugh emphasizes management skills and said the college spends an extra quarter helping certificate students find jobs that don’t scream green.

For instance, students may end up as facilities managers, which sounds nothing like an energy manager or sustainability coordinator. However, Pugh said, many companies that hire facilities managers are looking for someone to make their operations more energy-efficient. Boeing and Starbucks are examples of companies that employ people to track energy use.

“We’re trying our best to get these people into viable occupations,” Pugh said.

At Cascadia, Oyler teaches his students not only about energy efficiency but also about generation and distribution. Oyler said he sees a lot of diversification in energy — with companies that were once interested only in production branching out to distribution.

Picking a “winning project” for colleges to get behind, like training students for energy audits, is a risky bet because it might not be funded or government incentives might run out quickly, Oyler said.

“I think that’s where some of the well-intentioned funding may have gone wrong,” he added.

Some companies haven’t been able to get loans necessary for hiring, Oyler said. And others remain reluctant to hire in a shaky economy. Edmonds’ Pugh believes that ever-shifting government policy on energy also holds companies back.

“We’re kind of in a holding pattern,” Pugh said.

Long term

Green jobs are coming.

No, really, green jobs are coming.

Steve Klein, general manager of the Snohomish County Public Utility District, believes the county has a strong future in clean energy and technology.

“Snohomish County is pretty well-positioned to be a clean technology driver,” Klein said.

The county has just the right confluence to spur clean technology: It has residents who demand cleaner energy; its public utility is forward thinking; the county has land readily available.

“We attract partners,” Klein said.

The PUD received $15.8 million in recovery act funds for investing in Smart Grid, a system that allows for more efficient management of power use. It’s working with several companies, including Dial One in Stanwood, on energy storage and energy management applications. But jobs from that are several years down the road. In the nearer term, the PUD could create some jobs with its tidal and geothermal power efforts.

The PUD did receive federal funds for efficiency projects such as home weatherization and lighting upgrades. And the utility has stepped up its own rebates and incentives for homeowners and businesses. But jobs created by those projects aren’t necessarily the ones for which Cascadia and Edmonds students are being trained.

For instance, Light Doctor, a Mountlake Terrace lighting company, has seen its business increase 70 percent in the last year in part because of PUD incentives. But the company has hired electricians and skilled laborers, not those with certificates, said Don Nielsen, Light Doctor owner.

Ryan Crowther, who coordinates economic development efforts with clean tech companies, said there’s a mismatch in skills between students coming out of training and the people the clean tech companies want to hire. He believes companies want those with engineering and science degrees.

Pfister, the Cascadia certificate grad, agreed that many companies are looking for degrees, not certificates. Pfister is adding to his skill set by working on project certified as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, coordinated through Cascadia’s continuing education program.

“Once you do these things and can document them, it will go a long way,” he said.

Some students, even those with degrees such as Matt Amrheim, are biding their time with internships or contract positions. Amrheim, 31, has a dual degree in civil engineering and architecture. He landed a six-month internship with King County, having completed a two-quarter certificate at Cascadia.

“I think I was really fortunate to get this internship,” Amrheim said.

Amrheim had worked mostly in residential construction. When the housing market crashed, he went a year without a job. That was long enough for Amrheim to consider a career change. As someone who enjoys hiking and camping, Amrheim pondered a career tied to the environment, perhaps as a resource coordinator. He ended up in the energy auditing specialist program.

As an intern, Amrheim has been assigned to devise an energy plan for Metro Transit. That means identifying ways it not only can conserve energy — turning off power when it’s not needed — but also can be more energy-efficient — by upgrading equipment. The internship is funded through recovery act funds. Amrheim doesn’t expect it to be extended, saying the county would need to find more funding.

Snohomish County’s workforce agency is looking for funds that would allow Ambler to place recent green job training graduates in short-term positions, similar to internships, at smaller companies. The graduates would benefit by getting experience; the company would get fresh ideas.

But Ambler also is considering sending some of the graduates into aerospace. The county needs aerospace workers and she’s hopeful that students with sustainability or energy efficiency backgrounds would be a welcome addition to companies like Boeing.

Both Amrheim and Pfister say that if they can’t find full-time energy or sustainability jobs, they’ll have to consider going back into the construction industry. They would try to apply what they’ve learned.

“Even though the economy is not where we want it to be, eventually, this training is going to matter — regardless of what field (students) go into,” Pugh said.

Michelle Dunlop: 425-339-3454, mdunlop@heraldnet.com.