Published: March 31, 2009 11:34 am      

What jobs are green?

Talk of green jobs may draw visions of electrical engineers in a sterile lab designing solar panels.

But green jobs are diverse, from manual labor roofers installing solar panels to software developers finding ways to program cars for higher fuel efficiency.

The Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, completed a study last summer looking at employment and wages in 12 states, including Minnesota, for jobs related to green sectors.

Following are six green industries and some of the jobs they say are necessary in each one:



Building Retrofitting

Electricians, heating/air conditioning installers, carpenters, construction equipment operators, roofers, insulation workers, carpenter helpers, industrial truck drivers, construction managers, building inspectors



Mass Transit

Civil engineers, rail track layers, electricians, welders, metal fabricators, engine assemblers, production helpers, bus drivers, first-line transportation supervisors, dispatchers



Energy-Efficient Automobiles

Computer software engineers, electrical engineers, engineering technicians, welders, transportation equipment painters, metal fabricators, computer-controlled machine operators, engine assemblers, production helpers, operations managers



Wind Power

Environmental engineers, iron and steel workers, millwrights, sheet metal workers, machinists, electrical equipment assemblers, construction equipment operators, industrial truck drivers, industrial production managers, first-line production supervisors



Solar Power

Electrical engineers, electricians, industrial machinery mechanics, welders, metal fabricators, electrical equipment assemblers, construction equipment operators, installation helpers, laborers, construction managers



Cellulosic Biofuels

Chemical engineers, chemists, chemical equipment operators, chemical technicians, mixing and blending machine operators, agricultural workers, industrial truck drivers, farm product purchasers, agricultural and forestry supervisors, agricultural inspectors