The greening of career education: US students learn new skills as climate crisis intensifies
The Future is Green: How Career Education is Adapting to the Climate Crisis
As the climate crisis intensifies, career education is taking on a new, greener focus. In schools across the United States, students are learning about renewable energy, sustainability, and the environmental impact of various industries. This shift in curriculum is not just about preparing students for a changing job market, but also about empowering them to make a positive impact on the planet.
A New Generation of Environmental Stewards
One classroom in South Carolina's Greenville County school district is a prime example of this trend. High school juniors are examining little green sprouts, future baby carrots and romaine lettuce, growing out of the soil of a drip irrigation system they built a few weeks prior. On the opposite end of the room, a model of a hydropower plant shows students how the movement of water can stimulate electrical currents.
The Importance of Environmental Education
"It's an extremely important thing to study, especially now with all the new technology coming," said 11th-grader Beckett Morrison. In 2023, the school district built the Innovation Center to cycle in different career training programs every few years, based on local business needs. Even as Donald Trump declares climate change a "hoax" and cuts funding to fight it, school systems in both blue and red states are adding classes in fields like clean energy and infusing environmental sustainability lessons in construction, culinary and other career pathways.
A Growing Trend
This trend is driven by industries embracing emerging technology to remain globally competitive, adjust to environmental changes, and reduce costs. Even jobs that historically have not been considered environmental careers are adapting to changing industry demands. There's another reason schools are adding sustainability-focused courses: A growing number of young people, many of whom have lived through severe hurricanes, heat waves, and other extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change, are worried about the warming planet and seek ways to alleviate it.
The Role of States
On the forefront of this movement is Delaware, a state with plans for all of its middle and high school CTE courses to include environmental lessons in the coming years. The idea is for students in every industry – from carpentry to teacher training – to have some knowledge about sustainability and environmental impact, said Jon Wickert, the state's director of career and technical education and Stem initiatives.
The Impact of Climate Change
The impact of climate change is particularly acute for Delaware, which is the flattest state in the country and sits just above sea level. The state is projected to lose about 10 percent of its land to the ocean by the turn of the century. "Every job is a green job," said Denise Purnell-Cuff, a contractor who worked on the statewide plan with the Delaware department of education. "There is no disconnecting how we move forward in any area – there is no separating it from the environment."
The Benefits of Clean Energy Jobs
Clean energy jobs have grown faster than the rest of the US economy in recent years. By 2030, two-thirds of all cars sold globally are expected to be electric, and more countries will rely on renewable energy as their main source of energy. Under the Biden administration, schools were able to access some federal funding to launch climate-friendly and clean energy workforce initiatives. However, without federal money for these programs, schools are now looking for other sources of funding to create greener CTE programs.
The Role of Teachers and Students
In Chicago, the Teachers Union successfully bargained for green initiatives in their contract with the school district, including clean energy career pathways for students. In DC Public Schools, leaders are adding sustainability lessons like hydroponic gardening to the district's agriculture program. In Cook County, teachers at Buffalo Grove High School are creating a sustainability pathway, with enrollment growing more than fivefold in just a few years.
The Future of Career Education
As the climate crisis continues to intensify, career education will play an increasingly important role in preparing students for a greener future. "All manufacturing has a sustainability component," said Katie Porter, director of the CTE Innovation Center. "We want our students to think in that manner coming out of our high school programs."
A Call to Action
The future of our planet depends on the actions we take today. As students learn about renewable energy and sustainability, they are also learning about solutions. For Beckett Morrison, reducing society's impact on the environment is as much a part of his career calculations as finding a good job. "It's one of the most important things," he said. "There's no way to completely reverse our effects, but renewable energy is something that can help, will help and has helped."
