Green Job Training in Contra Costa

PITTSBURG, Calif. (KCBS)  -- Green technology is moving to the head of the class at all three community colleges in Contra Costa.

A clean energy training program is churning out new grads with brand new skills.

KCBS’ Dave Padilla reports

Solar-thermal installation, energy auditing, energy efficient lighting, are a few of the areas that students at the Clean Energy Workforce Training Program are concentrating on. Many are unemployed or underemployed.

The executive director of the Workforce Development Board Stephen Baiter says his agency is working in conjunction with the Contra Costa Community College District to train students for new jobs.

“As buildings need to be retrofitted, as growth occurs in the green economy, there’s more push towards energy efficiency, we’ll have the workforce in place to be able to do the jobs that need to get done to help get things going again.”

A special effort is also underway to reach out to returning U.S. military veterans.

Kim Schenk, the Dean of Career Technology Education at Diablo Valley College, says they are partnering with Swords to Plowshares in San Francisco to get veterans trained.

“To just having them come back, feel supported, get some training and then we’ve got a strong commitment from all of the partners to finding them jobs.”

The unemployment rate in Contra Costa has gone from 5.6 to 11 percent.