Feel like you’re hitting a brick wall in your green job search? You could be encountering some of the same challenges as others. Here’s how you can solve them.
With the world racing to see who can accomplish the most successful transition to clean energy as quickly as possible, new green jobs are being created by the dozen in recent times. For someone looking to get their slice of green pie, it seems the perfect time to launch a career in renewable energy — or to make the leap from oil and gas into the more sustainable jobs of the future. But landing a green job might not come as easily as one would think.
Take a look at some of the most common challenges people face when trying to get a green job, and how you can get around them.
Common Challenges in Getting a Green Job
Three of the most common challenges people face when trying to get a green job are:
- A lack of skills
- Not enough entry-level jobs
- Job location
The Challenges
By far the biggest issue for both job seekers and employers is a skills gap that is widespread in renewable energy right now. The industry has expanded so rapidly over the past 5 years or so that there simply aren’t enough people with enough relevant skills to fill the incredible number of job vacancies that continue to crop up.
Not to mention, the green sector itself is rife with cutting-edge technologies, making it even more difficult for workers to keep up. This issue is intimately linked to the second challenge, in that jobseekers can struggle to find entry-level positions for those just looking to start careers in a sustainable field. Most of the thousands of job vacancies that exist are seeking highly skilled workers who already have some experience in the industry.
And, linking right into the third challenge, many of those thousands of job openings are in Asia, which is a bit far from home for many of the North American or British jobseekers looking to get involved in the green economy.
The Solutions
Fortunately, jobseekers have many ways to address and overcome these challenges. Training or upskilling is one surefire path to eligibility for highly-skilled green jobs. But you can also consider accepting an internship or seeking out apprenticeship opportunities that can help you with hands-on training, experience, and invaluable networking all in one go.
No, our next tip isn’t to move overseas. Rather, you can take advantage of resources like EcoCareers that are dedicated to helping jobseekers like you match with their best green energy opportunity. We also have an online job board where you can easily search for, be notified of, and apply for new opportunities in your area of interest.
Plus, don’t forget that government initiatives like the IRA in the United States and millions of dollars of private investment are still being made to help the green transition gain (eco-friendly) steam. As these developments continue, you can expect more green job opportunities to take root in the United States, Canada, the UK, and across Europe, where there will be a robust share of high-quality, high-paying jobs to choose from soon.