Connecticut Schools to Implement 'Green Technology' Curricula

In an effort to better train future workers entering the 'green technology' industry, Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell, has signed a bill that requires all Connecticut higher-educational institutions to publish all 'green-tech' courses and programs offered. Going into effect on Oct. 1, the bill places Connecticut at the forefront of the nationally developing job sector known as 'green-collar jobs.'

As 'green-collar jobs' are considered jobs in any industry related to energy efficiency, Connecticut's government has made continually growing efforts to properly teach and train future employees for work in the environmental sector. Essentially, the 'green-collar' job is simply a blue or white collar job in the 'green' industry as defined by a news release from the Connecticut Department of Labor.

 In January of 2009, 12 states issued a publicly available letter to President Obama requesting to, "meet with you and your energy and environment leadership team as soon as possible to forge a new, dynamic partnership of state, local and federal leaders that will be critical to addressing climate change and leading our country toward a clean energy economy." Since then, Governor Rell has taken further steps towards establishing the workforce of Connecticut on the front lines of the expansive 'green technology' industry. In recent years, new resources have cropped up enabling job seekers to more easily locate 'green collar' jobs such as greencollarjobs.org which offer training programs and courses for those desiring to enter the 'green technology' field.

Rell's efforts to keep Connecticut on the up and coming 'green technology' vanguard extend beyond the signing of the recent bill. The new bill reflects endeavors that Rell has accumulated over the years concerning Connecticut's participation in the 'green technology' industry. According to an official release from the Governor's office, as of February of last year, an executive order required "guidelines to train and develop Connecticut's green collar workforce," so creating Connecticut's Green Collar Job Council. The bill also reflects a national effort for regulating and measuring 'green labor' activity and development that is supported by President Obama's 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act which declared $40 million available for 'green technology' industry workers and a projected creation of 8,000 new jobs in the energy efficient business.

Juliana Kenny is a TMCnet reporter and editor. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Michael Dinan