Should the Government Pay for Green Jobs Training?
The Department of Labor recently announced that $7.5 million in grants are now available to provide up to 3,000 veterans with green jobs training. Federal funding that supports the troops and saves the planet? Sounds almost too good to be true.
Actually this latest announcement is just a drop in the bucket when compared to the $500 million in stimulus dollars already set aside for green jobs training. Around $150 million will go to a "pathways out of poverty" green jobs programs while the rest will train the unemployed, with a focus on laid-off auto workers. The funds will also help state governments plan and measure green job development.
However, a recent report that's making the rounds this week might jeopardize future support for these green training programs. From the New York Times:
A little-noticed study the Labor Department released several months ago found that the benefits of the biggest federal job training program were "small or nonexistent" for laid-off workers. It showed little difference in earnings and the chances of being rehired between laid-off people who had been retrained and those who had not.According to the article, federal jobs training programs might not be that helpful because workers have a tough time predicting the future labor market. Furthermore, many economists are skeptical because job retraining is ineffective without job creation.
When it comes to green jobs though, the government can try to create demand for them through mandates such as the cap and trade bill. Even if that ends up working, why can't solar companies and home weatherization providers just train their own workers on the job?
Photo by Flickr user "Faul," CC 2.0.