What are green jobs?

The answer to this question depends on two important criteria.

1. The number of industries being considered.
• The term could apply to a single industry — such as solar energy — or all industries that have a net positive impact on the environment.
• The broader definition could encompass numerous industries ranging from renewable energy to waste management to biological science professions.
2. The employee’s degree of involvement in the defined industry.
   Each industry will consist of direct and indirect jobs, which will vary depending on how the industry defines a Green Job.
• For example, one analysis of the solar energy industry may consider manufacturing jobs as a direct job because they occur within the industry’s supply chain.
• The solar industry may consider accounting as an indirect job because it is necessary to support the business of the industry.

Definition of a Green Job
Wake Tech’s definition of a Green Job aligns with that of the NC Sustainable Energy Association (www.energync.org), meaning a Green Job is defined as:

• A job that pays a livable wage, and
• A job that has a net positive impact (direct or indirect) on the environment.

Green Job Opportunities
Wake Tech believes there are many opportunities for Green Jobs that do not yet exist, as the Green Movement is still in the forming stages. In the short-term, Green Jobs will be clustered within Wake Tech’s current training in traditional technology programs of plumbing, heating and cooling, construction, civil engineering, architecture, landscaping, environmental sciences, automotive, and heavy equipment technologies.
There are two main educational paths at Wake Tech:

1. You can gain the skills for employment in a Green Job with a two year Associate of Applied Science degree, a one year technical diploma, or a technical certificate, or
2. You can earn a two year Associate of Science or Associate of Science in Pre-Engineering degree which will equip you to transfer to a four year college or university which--upon completion--will allow you to earn a bachelor’s degree in a Green Job related degree program