Energizing the Workforce: Specifying the Scope

As SJVCEO’s workforce development efforts continue to progress forward, we decided that it was time to narrow the scope a bit. Since we cannot solve all the issues we have addressed over the last few months, we have separated our efforts into three main categories that we want to pursue. These three groups are not at all the only ones that need to be targeted for workforce development efforts, but we feel like these are most prevalent in our communities and what we as an organization can work towards progressing.

Each of the groups below serve the overarching fact that communities of color are not equally represented in our workforce. One of the first editions of Energizing the Workforce covered the demographics of our industry. From the report put out by the DOE in 2016, 76% of employees are white. While our communities in the SJV are some of the most diverse in the state, our clean energy workforce does not reflect that based on the number above. From the beginning our driving statement has been: “Our workforce does not look like the communities that we serve and until it does, we must point out that it’s not.” The three categories below will not only change those statistics but increase access and opportunity to communities that are often left behind.

Disadvantaged Agriculture Workers:
It is no secret that the San Joaquin Valley is home to some of the most important farmland and agricultural spaces in the world. Farmlands and ag production companies have been present in the Valley for generations and employ thousands of workers that are attached and bonded to the land. However, as times progress, innovation and new technologies are changing the way that these companies and employees operate. Now, there are technological advancements and machinery that can do the work in one day that would typically take 5 employees 3 days to complete. As developments like this continue (and they will), there will be a large population of individuals in the ag space who are unemployed. This is where the importance of a workforce development program can insert itself. Energy efficiency/clean energy is growing in every sector and by collaborating with agriculture companies that are experiencing hardships like the one mentioned above, we can continue to expand and introduce climate adaptive careers to new groups.

School Programs- Young Student Education
Educating high school and college students about the career pathways and opportunities in clean energy is becoming more and more common by the day, which is great! Internship programs, career fairs, and informational seminars being hosted by schools, IOUs, or even community-based organizations are great steps forward to equity in clean energy. However, there is a small gap that we have identified as an organization and want to continue to push through and that is educating elementary level students! Around first grade is when “career days” start and the questions pour in to 5–7-year old’s: what do you want to be when you grow up? A firefighter, a teacher, or a construction worker are some of the most common answers I recall. Wouldn’t it be great to hear a child say I want to be an EV engineer or a sustainable builder or even a lineman? Career development starts a lot younger than we may initially realize. Introducing students to these opportunities or avenues at such a young age while educating them about EE can alter how our future workforce looks.

Previously Incarcerated Individuals
The last group that we want to focus on is returning citizens or previously incarcerated individuals. In California alone, an estimated 8 million people have an arrest or criminal conviction that’s around 1 in 3 adults (PR NEWSWIRE). It is extremely difficult to get a job today especially in the COVID era but having any sort of background makes that a thousand times more difficult. There are organizations throughout the state that are working tirelessly to solve these issues, but we want to join them in finding solutions to provide career and educational opportunities to these folks who want to create a new life for themselves. And often times, that begins with a new career.