On January 6, 2009, more than six hundred adults, ex-offenders and young people from across the Valley flocked to Arizona's first-ever Green Collar Career Fair & Expo sponsored by AWEE, Phoenix Workforce Connection, the Arizona Department of Economic Security and Aspire Workforce Development Initiative. The event was a huge success, bringing together throngs of people interested in learning about green career opportunities with leading green businesses and academic institutions that offer preparatory coursework and training.

Today, more than 8.5 million Americans are employed by the solar energy field alone, according to the American Solar Energy Society. More broadly, the "green industrial cluster"—which encompasses such areas as recycling operations, wastewater treatment, development of clean technology, construction of green buildings and solar panels—is already the fifth largest market sector in the United States. Going forward, the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics ranks environmental science and protection among the 30 fastest-growing occupations in the period 2006-2016.

President Obama has pledged to build national momentum around the creation of a dynamic and fast-growing "green economy that will combat climate change through investment in new clean energy technology." AWEE believes that Arizona is ideally positioned to play a prominent role in this green revolution and to find new long-term sources of economic growth and community progress in the process.

AWEE plans to continue offering Green Collar Career Fairs and other new workforce development events and program initiatives in the months ahead. We invite you to visit our Web site frequently for the latest news and events information.

• Click here to view a slide show of event highlights. (Please note: You must use Internet Explorer to view the slide show.)

• Click here to view a story that ran in the January 5th issue of the Arizona Republic. (You will need the Acrobat reader to view the file)

• Click here to view a pre-event announcement that ran in the December 10th issue of the East Valley Tribune. (You will need the Acrobat reader to view the file)

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