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COUNTY OF SAN MATEO
Inter-Departmental Correspondence
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Board of Supervisors
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DATE:
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April 10, 2008
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BOARD MEETING DATE:
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April 22, 2008
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SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:
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No
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VOTE REQUIRED:
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Majority
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TO:
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Honorable Board of Supervisors
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FROM:
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Supervisor Rose Jacobs Gibson
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SUBJECT:
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Summit to develop a job training and placement program in businesses whose products and services directly improve environmental quality.
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RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution convening a “Green Works” summit to explore the development of a job training and job placement program in businesses whose products and services directly improve environmental quality.
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VISION ALIGNMENT:
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Commitment: Realize the potential of our diverse population.
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Goals: (1) Our diverse population works well together to build strong communities, effective government and a prosperous economy. (4) Residents have many educational and training opportunities beyond high school.
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BACKGROUND:
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“Green” lifestyle choices in food, appliances, buildings and transportation represent one of the fastest growing segments of the economy. Examples of green-collar workers are mechanics who service bio-diesel engines, electricians who install energy efficient lighting systems, and construction workers who install solar paneling in buildings. Green-collar jobs include opportunities for advancement in both skills and wages. Characteristics of green-collar jobs include proper vocational training, living wages, health care, job security and organized workers. They represent an important new category of work force opportunities for men and women with barriers to employment because they are high quality jobs, with low barriers to entry, in sectors of the economy that are experiencing dramatic growth. However, many of these new jobs are going to highly educated engineers, not the traditional middle class leaving large segments of San Mateo County’s workforce behind.
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DISCUSSION:
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The resolution for the Board’s consideration proposes the convening of a summit to explore the development of a program that would provide job training and placement services in green-collar careers to adults who have had difficulty finding opportunities for employment. Developing a program that aligns vocational training to jobs in sustainable industries would create a network of opportunities for residents who, due to a history in the juvenile/criminal justice system, lack of job skills, lack of education and language/cultural barriers, are most in need of employment training, placement and support.
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To ensure the success of such a program, it should be developed through a collaborative process with the business community, unions, workforce development, technical and community colleges, and County departments. A summit should be held with individuals from all these stakeholders to commence this process. I am hopeful that many local businesses will want to participate in the development of a program that will in turn secure a trained workforce, reduce turnover in entry-level jobs, and improve their environmental standards.
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I recommend that a “Green Works Summit” be convened sometime within the next six months to commence this collaborative process. The County Manager has indicated that he will designate Beverly Beasley Johnson, Director of the Human Services Agency, to coordinate this summit and to report on the progress of the development of the program to the Housing, Health, and Human Services Committee.
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FISCAL IMPACT:
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The costs of convening the summit will be minimal.
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