While some indicators seem to suggest that America is slowly beginning to rise out of the recession, many people around the country are still struggling to find employment. While the recession was a major blow to nearly every working American, there is a silver lining to all this suffering. An unexpected side effect of rising unemployment seems to be an increased interest in green construction jobs.

While it seems almost counter-intuitive that during a recession people would be interested in green building techniques (which can be expensive in some cases), there is a logic behind the trend. When many construction workers lost their jobs, they opted to enroll in courses that gave them a new skill set.

They hoped that with a freshly padded resume and certificates in asbestos abatement, lead remediation, weatherization, air quality monitoring, or green building techniques, they would become more appealing to potential employers. With experience in construction techniques that could reduce energy costs and remove environmental hazards from buildings, these out-of-work men and women hoped to once again become gainfully employed.

Many of these training programs were financed by Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which provided millions of dollars in funding for these kinds of programs in nearly every state across America. For example, at one such green job training program near Westport, Connecticut, announced last month that it had placed 45 of its 60 new graduates in paying positions, a placement record that program operators say is impressive when compared to other training programs in the area.

A similar initiative in Michigan is also helping people to make their homes more green, and invigorating the local economy at the same time.

“We’re hiring local folks to do that [kind of weatherization] work. It’s skill training for them, real green jobs… and not only that, but then they’re buying the materials locally. So, they’re going to the local lumberyard to buy that insulation, to buy the caulk and to keep that money right here in Pontiac and Oakland County,” said Don Jones with the Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency in Michigan.

“We’re helping neighbors and neighborhoods to become more energy efficient, which ends up saving people money. So, people can save money while putting people to work. It’s the kind of investments that the Recovery Act was really designed to do,” added Rep. Gary Peters.

With the Obama Administration’s continuing support for green initiatives, it seems likely that these newly-trained construction workers will have many work opportunities awaiting them over the coming years. Obama has promised to spend $150 billion over the next decade to promote energy from the sun, wind and other renewable sources as well as energy conservation.

In addition, he hopes to create 5 million new green jobs over that same 10 year time period. And with other federal organizations such as the U.S. Green Building Council touting the benefits of LEED-certified buildings and other similar green initiatives, workers with educational backgrounds in green construction and hazardous materials abatement will almost certainly be in higher demand in the coming years.

Additional Information:

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jan/04/business/fi-greenjobs4

http://inspiredeconomist.com/2008/12/16/obamas-green-job-plan-x-10/

http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2010/04/nj_green_jobs_creation_slow_de.html