Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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May 24, 2009

Green Jobs Gaining Popularity
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=246A8DA:A6F02AD83191E160339619CBD112EE2D2A201403E89ED254&
 
As unemployment grows, more jobless Americans return to classrooms to
prepare for jobs of the future 
A new report this week shows the number of Americans receiving jobless
benefits has grown to nearly 6.7 million, the highest total on record
dating back to 1967. The biggest losses are in manufacturing and
construction. Across the country, many of the recently unemployed are
going back to school. Some say they want to be ready for the jobs of the
future. Matthew Welch and his students practice installing solar panels
at San Jose City College in California As job losses mount, a growing
number of unemployed workers are shunning traditional industries, to
take advantage of opportunities in the so called "green sector": careers
fueled by an increasing demand for environmentally sustainable jobs.
Laid off construction worker Matt Canepa believes his future is in solar
power."The construction industry has taken a big hit here of late, so
I'm in flux," he said. "And I think there are good opportunities in
solar. So that's why I'm here."Canepa is enrolled at San Jose City
College in California's Silicon Valley, where students learn how to
install solar panels and fix wind turbines. Instructor Matthew Welch
says the waiting list for his "Solar 102" class has more than doubled.
Instructor Matthew Welch at San Jose City College in California teaching
"Solar 102""The class is very popular right now. It is the bright spot
on the future. The cost is going to be coming down so you're going to be
seeing solar everywhere in the future," he said. Colleges from
California to Florida are expanding job training programs to meet the
anticipated demand for green jobs, thanks in part to funding from the
federal government's $787 billion stimulus package. These students are
optimistic that President Obama's campaign to promote alternative energy
and combat global warming will create millions of new jobs. But program
coordinator David Mc Feely says students have to be patient."Right now
things are really slow," he noted. "But most of the employers that I'm
talking to say, you know, they are very hopeful that this summer
 they will see an uptake, and that they will be able to place a lot of
these students in either full-time or internship positions."Despite the
high expectations, many economists say nationwide unemployment is likely
to reach 10 percent or more before the year ends. These students say
they hope the jobs will be there by the time they graduate later this
year.


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