GEOSCIENCES AND CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION AT THE TWO-YEAR COLLEGE: EXPLORING A NEW RESERVOIR OF WORKFORCE POTENTIAL

Careers in energy science represent significant job growth in the U.S. Yet post-secondary career and technical programs have not kept pace with demand and energy science curriculum lacks a firm position among general or career education courses. Many of these emerging energy related jobs are skilled labor and entry level technical positions requiring less than a bachelor’s degree. These include jobs such as solar/photovoltaic design and installation, solar water and space heating installation, energy management, efficiency and conservation auditor, environmental technician, etc. These energy related career pathways fit naturally within the geosciences discipline. Many of these jobs can be filled by individuals from HVAC, Industrial technology, welding, and electrical degree programs needing some additional specialized training and curriculum focused on fundamental concepts of energy. Two-year colleges are uniquely positioned to train and fill these workforce needs as they already have existing career and technical programs and attract both young recent high school graduates as well as non-traditional students including displaced workers. We have established geoscience related workforce certificate programs that individuals completing the traditional industrial career and technical degrees can obtain to meet these emerging workforce needs.