The California Environmental Literacy Initiative (CAELI) Green Career Education Initiative (GCI) facilitates the development of an environmentally literate workforce by fostering the integration of career and environmental education into TK—14 Career Technical Education (CTE) and other academic coursework and finding new ways to provide all students with equitable access to high-wage careers, jobs, and trades that support a green economy. This is accomplished through increased engagement of partners and educators to become Initiative members; leveraging the CAELI Partner Portal to showcase existing workforce development programs; providing professional development to increase awareness about the green economy; showcasing methods for supporting green career education; and connecting with other CAELI Innovation Hubs and Initiatives to promote green career goals.
Co-chairs Elizabeth Christy and Siria Salas developed the idea for a CTE career pathways-mapping webinar series during the summer of 2024 as they assumed leadership of the Green Career Initiative. Based on the findings from the Educating for Green Careers Report produced by CAELI in 2023-2024, they realized the importance of sharing CTE pathways and green career connections with CAELI members and general audiences. The economic demand for green careers, mentioned in the report, was reinforced by the recent World Economic Future Jobs Report, emphasizing the need to support students in pursuing good, green jobs.
The Green Career Initiative members worked for several months planning the pilot webinar. During the first meetings, members discussed the goals, timeline, and plan for the webinar series. All members were surveyed to help determine the first of the fifteen CTE sectors to be highlighted—Energy, Environment, and Utilities came out on top! The GCI team, with the critical support of Sarah Whiting of Ten Strands, planned the webinar, invited key stakeholders, and engaged community partners.
All members shared a role in identifying industry partners, community-based partners (CBPs), and educators who would serve as the first panelists. From a robust list of over twenty-three potential speakers, the team identified eight panelists.
The first webinar, Energy Environment and Utilities, was hosted on February 5, 2025. This webinar brought together CBPs and educators across the state in the energy, environmental, and utilities industries. In a short hour and a half, they shared their knowledge, expertise, industry needs, and personal pathways! The webinar had eighty registrants from across the state, with a few national and international registrants. Each panelist shared work-based learning and career opportunities from their organizations and where they see the future of these job opportunities. Our industry partners presented information on identifying gaps in the labor market, growth opportunities, in-demand technical and soft skills, and climate resilience’s impact on the market. Educational partners, both from formal and informal educational institutions, shared successes and challenges in preparing students to pursue these opportunities by sharing resources and strategies for navigating barriers. Finally, the work-based partners discussed developing strong partnerships and mutually beneficial relationships.
This is the first of an ongoing series sharing career opportunities for multiple CTE pathways in the K–12 and university education space. Keep an eye out for our next CTE Career Pathways webinar, which will focus on the arts, media, and entertainment sector in the summer of 2025! For additional information, see the webinar recording and slide decks.
Webinar Participant Testimonies:
“Thank you to all of the panel members. All of the information was great to be aware of and the work being done. I am in Oregon, but we want to follow this great work.”
“Thank you all for the amazing work you are all doing! I look forward to connecting with CAELI again soon!”
Learn more about the Green Career Education Initiative here.
