There COULD be room at entry levels for individuals with limited skills AND there needs to be advocacy on this point. And for many this is the hope that climate change holds for economic, social and environmental justice. We can use our response to this challenge to also bring low income and disadvantaged individuals and communities into the economy in ways that allow for them to gain skills and advance.

For example, the energy efficiency field (insulation installing, energy audits, air sealing, etc.) lends itself well to a low bar for entry while still holding possibility for advancement; ideal for many of the individuals that community based organizations work with.

It will, however, require that we advocate for policies that
1) target training dollars specifically for skill training with these populations,
2) we craft career pathways within our public workforce development system that allow for diverse providers, including community based organizations, to engage the populations they work with in concert with agencies and institutions providing advanced training, and
3) link our legislative response to climate chaos/climate change with measures that economically protect those most economically vulnerable including not only training dollars but also support for managing in the face of rising energy costs.

And, we also need to advocate locally around the following:
1) making sure energy services contracts purchased by municipalities, for example, target jobs and training to these populations as a part of the contract
2) the development of community energy resources that provide access to energy across income levels and also create local jobs.