Number 6 • January 2011

Strategies for Including People with Disabilities in the 

Green Jobs Talent Pipeline: Roundtable Proceedings



Background 

In September 2007, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (USDOL) Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) 

established the National Technical Assistance and Research Center to Promote Leadership for the Employment 

and Economic Independence of Adults with Disabilities (NTAR Leadership Center), located at the John 

J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. The NTAR 

Leadership Center aims to build leadership and capacity at the state and local levels to increase employment and 

economic self-sufficiency for adults with disabilities. 

On December 16, 2009, the NTAR Leadership Center in partnership with ODEP sponsored Strategies for Including 

People with Disabilities in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline. The roundtable brought together thought leaders and 

entrepreneurial problem solvers to develop recommendations to ensure people with disabilities are included 

in the emerging energy efficiency and renewable energy workforce talent pipelines. An impressive cross-section 

of more than 50 individuals participated, including experts in workforce development, education, green jobs, 

disability employment, sector strategies, and economic development, as well as representatives from labor 

unions, the employer community, advocates for people with disabilities and other populations such as veterans 

and ex-offenders, as well as local, state, and federal policymakers. (See Appendices A and B for the roundtable 

agenda and a list of participants.) 

Broad economic and energy trends, federal investments through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act 

(ARRA), and state and local energy policies are all expected to lead to the creation of new green jobs. In late 

2009 and early 2010, the U.S. Department of Labor invested roughly $500 million in green jobs grants under 

ARRA, releasing funds in four categories: 

	 State Energy Sector Partnership and Training Grants ($190 million) to teach workers the skills required in 

emerging industries, including energy efficiency and renewable energy. 

	 Pathways Out of Poverty Grants ($150 million) to help disadvantaged populations, including people with 

disabilities, find opportunities to move out of poverty and into economic self-sufficiency through green jobs 

employment. 

	 Energy Training Partnership Grants ($100 million) to support green job training programs to help 

dislocated workers and others, including veterans, women, African Americans, and Latinos, find jobs in 

expanding green industries and related occupations. Roughly $28 million of the total funds are geared to 

supporting projects in communities affected by auto industry restructuring. 

	 State Labor Market Information Improvement Grants and Green Capacity Building Grants ($55 million). 
Page 2 Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline 

(Detailed information on the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration [USDOL/ 

ETA] green jobs initiatives and current grantees can be found at: http://www.dol.gov/dol/green.) 

The goal of the December 16 roundtable was to identify emerging strategies and provide initial 

recommendations that could be undertaken to better promote and encourage the inclusion of people with 

disabilities in the planning and execution of the initiatives being supported by USDOL/ETA and other green 

jobs training initiatives. 

Defining Green Jobs 

As noted by the USDOL’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there is no widely accepted standard definition of 

“green jobs.” In studies reviewed by BLS, neither of the standard classification systems most frequently used (i.e., 

the North American Industry Classification System or NAICS, or the Standard Occupational Classification or 

SOC) identifies green or environmental groups of industries or occupations. However, for purposes of discussion 

during the roundtable, green jobs generally referred to a wide variety of jobs that are related to preserving or 

restoring the environment, reducing energy usage, or lowering carbon emissions. These jobs can be divided 

into energy efficiency and renewable energy categories. Energy efficiency jobs can involve retrofitting homes 

or developing and manufacturing products that save energy. Renewable energy jobs include creating and 

maintaining technologies that generate energy from resources that are naturally replenished (i.e. solar and wind 

power).1 

It is clear that many factors will influence the eventual makeup of green jobs, and especially renewable energy 

jobs, in a given area. These include state and local policies, existing workforce strengths, natural resources, 

geography, and infrastructure. The term “green jobs” often conjures images of construction or manufacturing 

jobs, but green jobs may include a wide variety of positions, including administration and back office support, 

financial services, salespersons, truck drivers, scientists, and engineers among others, as long as the jobs have 

something to do with either increasing the supply of renewable energy or energy conservation. While some 

green jobs will be new jobs, the majority of green jobs in the immediate future are expected to be existing jobs 

that will require a new layer of “green skills and knowledge.” This would include a welder who needs to learn 

new techniques to manufacture a wind turbine, for example. On the other hand, an experienced carpenter may 

not require any new skills to install an energy efficient window. The largest number of green jobs is expected 

to be in occupations requiring an apprenticeship, professional certificate, or one to two years of postsecondary 

education.2

 (A list of selected background materials that were shared with participants prior to the roundtable 

can be found in Appendix E.) 

Welcoming Remarks: Developing a Plan to Include People with 

Disabilities in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline 

Kathy Krepcio, Director of the NTAR Leadership Center and Executive Director of the Heldrich Center, opened 

the roundtable by highlighting the importance of including people with disabilities in the nation’s economic 

recovery and the green economy. Kathy Martinez, Assistant Secretary of ODEP, noted ODEP’s commitment to 

working with federal agencies and state and local partners to ensure that new USDOL projects include workers 

with disabilities. She also reiterated the need for Americans with disabilities to have an equal chance to share 

in the full promise of the growing green economy. As such, she noted that a conscious effort must be made to 
Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline Page 3 

ensure that these and other workplaces are universally accessible so that all individuals can participate in and 

reap the benefits of employment and career advancement. Good green jobs opportunities should be available 

for individuals both with and without disabilities. 

Panel 1: Framing the Discussion: Green Jobs/Good Jobs for All: 

Identifying Trends and Fostering State and Local Opportunities, 

Strategies, and Strategic Alliances 

The first panel discussion asked several national experts to reflect on the following questions: 

	 What are the potential workforce opportunities, challenges, and barriers for people with disabilities in the 

emerging green economy? 

	 What are the workforce and educational needs and how can states work to ensure inclusion in these efforts 

for people with disabilities? 

	 What partnerships are needed (in state and local government, nonprofits, organized labor, private sector, 

and universities and colleges) to ensure that people with disabilities are ready to meet the needs of a new 

green economy? 

Presentations were made by Ann Randazzo, Executive Director of the Center for Energy Workforce 

Development; Jeff Rickert, Director of the AFL-CIO Green Jobs Center; and Dennis Torbett, Vice President, 

Workforce Training and Employment, Home Builders Institute, National Association of Home Builders 

(NAHB). (See Appendix C for presenter biographies.) 

Ann Randazzo spoke on behalf of the Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD), a nonprofit 

consortium of electric, natural gas, and nuclear utilities and their associations — Edison Electric Institute, 

American Gas Association, Nuclear Energy Institute, and National Rural Electric Cooperative Association — 

which was formed to help utilities work together to develop solutions to the coming workforce shortage in 

the utility industry. She defined green jobs as “jobs that involve protecting wildlife or ecosystems, reducing 

pollution or waste, reducing energy usage, or lowering carbon emissions.” She explained CEWD’s efforts to 

develop a green jobs competencies model, which includes basic workplace skills at the bottom of a pyramid, 

industry fundamentals in the middle, and job-specific skills and credentials at the top. Ms. Randazzo emphasized 

both the importance of developing career pathways and the need for a flexible education system to develop 

new training for green jobs. Ms. Randazzo gave examples of green energy jobs, which can include design, 

operations, maintenance around energy efficiency, energy generation, and energy transmission and distribution. 

Ms. Randazzo focused on transforming or “greening” traditional utilities jobs by layering additional training, 

certifications, and on-the-job training on top of traditional skills. To respond to industry workforce needs, she 

recommends supporting collaboration between industry, education, and workforce partners at both the national 

and state levels, and noted that there are currently State Energy Workforce Consortiums in 25 states. (Ms. 

Randazzo’s presentation can be found at: http://www.ntarcenter.org/research/research_projects.php.)
Page 4 Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline 

As the Director of the AFL-CIO Green Jobs Center and a partner in the ODEP-funded National Technical 

Assistance Policy and Research Center for employers on employment of people with disabilities based at Cornell 

University, Jeff Rickert described 2009 as the beginning of a “green jobs revolution.” The AFL-CIO’s Green Jobs 

Center was developed to assist union leaders in training workers for new careers in a clean energy economy. 

The Green Jobs Center, a program of the Working for America Institute, is striving to ensure that “green jobs 

are good jobs” that pay family-sustaining wages, provide health benefits, and offer workers opportunities for 

advancement. Mr. Rickert emphasized that given the current state of the economy, there is a critical need to 

get people back to work through ARRA and other efforts. The depressed housing market, the downturn in 

construction, and ongoing foreclosures are adversely affecting green job creation. Mr. Rickert also discussed 

organized labor’s long history in the implementation of apprenticeships, which have successfully prepared 

individuals for career pathways in skilled construction and other occupations, providing them with an employerrecognized credential. He suggested that apprenticeships should be expanded to prepare people with and 

without disabilities for emerging green jobs as well. 

Dennis Torbett spoke about the expected growth in the home-building industry green jobs sector, which, like 

the utilities industry, has an older workforce that will eventually need replacing, as well as the Home Builders 

Institute’s (HBI) longtime commitment to hiring people with disabilities. Mr. Torbett described HBI’s PreApprenticeship Certificate Training (PACT) program, which includes Project HOPE (Home Building 

Opportunities for Positive Employment) for people with disabilities, and CRAFT (Community, Restitution, 

Apprenticeship-Focused Training) for adjudicated youth. The PACT program was developed by members of the 

housing industry and combines academic instruction and hands-on training on actual construction projects. 

The curriculum also provides literacy and employability skills. Through Project HOPE, HBI connects the needs 

of local vocational rehabilitation clients with the workforce needs of the housing industry. Project HOPE has 

helped more than 600 disabled workers in industry-related jobs and careers, including jobs in administrative 

office support as well as framers and carpenters.3

 Mr. Torbett indicated that homebuilders are aware of the 

need to become increasingly green, and he pointed to the National Green Building Guidelines and Standards 

developed by NAHB (available at: http://www.nahbgreen.org/). In addition to pre-apprenticeship initiatives, he 

also referenced various opportunities for current professionals to attain green certifications as part of NAHB’s 

efforts to “green the workforce.” Green practices and competencies are also being integrated into Job Corps 

and YouthBuild initiatives. (Visit http://www.ntarcenter.org/research/research_projects.php for Mr. Torbett’s 

presentation. ) 

Kathy Krepcio then moderated a question-and-answer session with the panelists. The discussion that followed 

reiterated the importance of helping job seekers with disabilities prepare for emerging green jobs, including 

providing more opportunities for apprenticeships and acquiring employer-recognized credentials and 

certificates through education and training. Participants asked questions relating to veterans with disabilities and 

the Helmets to Hardhats program, which connects veterans to careers in construction (for more information, 

visit: http://www.helmetstohardhats.org), as well as regarding the need for work readiness credentials for 

high school dropouts. Work readiness credentials can provide some assurance to employers that individuals 

have the skills necessary for entry-level positions. (Visit http://www.workreadiness.com/about.html for more 

information.) 
Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline Page 5 

Panel 2: Expanding the Discussion: Green Jobs/Good Jobs for All: 

Promoting Inclusion in State, Regional, and Local Green Economy 

Efforts 

In the second panel, speakers were asked to discuss what kinds of policies and practices can be developed 

to expand opportunities for people with disabilities in the green economy, and how to engage stakeholders, 

including people with disabilities, state policymakers, educators/training providers, organized labor, Chief 

Business Officers, and employers, to expedite the entry of people with disabilities into jobs in the green 

economy. This panel included speakers who are currently involved with specific initiatives to improve 

employment opportunities for people with disabilities or programs targeted to other populations that might 

provide lessons that can inform and shape new green jobs initiatives. The presenters included Karen McCulloh, 

former Executive Director of disabilityworks, an initiative of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce; Elizabeth 

Reynoso, Coordinator of Planning and Community Partnerships, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice; Joe 

Carbone, CEO of The WorkPlace, Inc., the Workforce Investment Board for southwestern Connecticut; and 

Anastasia Urtz, Executive Director, Cornell Cooperative Extension Service of Onondaga County, New York. 

Karen McCulloh has contributed to the development of health care sector strategies in Illinois that are targeted 

to preparing people with disabilities for careers in health care and that may offer lessons for developing similar 

green jobs opportunities. She described the current green collar job initiatives in the Chicago metropolitan area, 

including a new USDOL-funded program that will focus on mature workers and green job certifications. (Visit 

http://www.doleta.gov/pdf/GreenJobs.pdf for more information.) The mature worker initiative, led by Easter 

Seals, Inc., will expand the offerings of the Senior Community Service Employment Program to engage with 

green industries and develop a green pathway model to help mature job seekers and individuals with disabilities 

benefit from experiential and formal job training as well as connecting them with job placement services. The 

program includes a wide range of partners, including disabilityworks, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, 

the City of Chicago’s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Chicagoland Business 

Leadership Network, and Wilbur Wright College among others. 

According to Ms. McCulloh, Chicago has been involved in green collar initiatives for several years, running 

programs such as the City of Chicago Weatherization Program, which provides employment opportunities 

to ex-offenders. In 2009, the Chicagoland Green Collar Jobs Initiative issued a report, Building a Green Collar 

Workforce in Chicagoland, which noted that green collar jobs can enable low-skilled workers to find economic 

opportunities, in turn helping develop the Chicagoland green economy, and includes jobs that are accessible to 

individuals with significant barriers to employment, though not limited to them. (The report can be accessed 

at: http://www.greencollarchicago.org/uploads/GreenCollarWorkforce.pdf.) Ms. McCulloh pointed out the 

urgent need to encourage state and local leaders to think about the inclusion of people with disabilities in the 

green jobs pipeline, adding that many leaders are currently still in the early stages of defining what a green job 

actually is and have given little or no thought to how people with disabilities might be included. (Ms. McCulloh’s 

presentation can be found at: http://www.ntarcenter.org/research/research_projects.php.) 

Elizabeth Reynoso is the Coordinator of Planning and Community Partnerships for the New Jersey Institute for 

Social Justice (NJISJ), a research and advocacy organization dedicated to the advancement of New Jersey’s urban 

areas and residents. Ms. Reynoso described the New Careers Project, a transitional jobs program for adults age 

18 and over who have recently been released from prison. She spoke about a new green jobs training program 

that was starting for the prisoner reentry population, which includes many individuals with disabilities, and that 

draws on lessons from other NJISJ pre-apprenticeship and training programs for low-income and low-skilled 
Page 6 Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline 

individuals. The construction pre-apprenticeship program has helped over 400 individuals, 12% of whom had 

spent time in prison, become trade union members. She discussed the challenges for these populations of 

passing union pre-apprenticeship tests and emphasized the need for pre-apprenticeship and other programs 

specifically geared to increasing the number of low-income, low-skilled workers able to achieve employerrecognized certificates and credentials. Ms. Reynoso stated that one challenge with some programs is the lack of 

wraparound services that are vital to helping participants retain jobs once they find them. She also referenced 

NJISJ’s program to help restore individuals’ driver’s licenses, which can be critical to helping them qualify for 

employment. (For additional information on NJISJ programs, visit: http://www.njisj.org/index.php.) 

Joe Carbone described regional differences in the evolution of the green economy and the changing nature of 

green jobs, making it hard to predict where they will be, what they will look like, and how to prepare for them. 

He encouraged patience on the part of the workforce development system, and the responsibility of the system 

in not misleading customers about green jobs that may not exist yet. In addition, he noted, it is difficult to 

predict whether green jobs will ultimately net more jobs or merely replace existing ones. 

Mr. Carbone described some successful initiatives at The WorkPlace, Inc., such as the Summer Youth 

Employment Program, which engaged 774 youth at 175 worksites, including 170 (24%) with disabilities and 

44 (6%) in green jobs. Mr. Carbone noted that many of the youth participants entered full-time employment 

following their summer programs. Other initiatives include the Veterans Workforce Improvement Program, 

which has trained 120 veterans for green jobs; Projects with Industry, a U.S. Department of Education-funded 

initiative that provides job placement services to individuals with disabilities and helps them secure competitive 

employment; and a weatherization program.4

 Another new initiative is an ODEP-funded pilot to help young 

people with disabilities gets into apprenticeships. Mr. Carbone also discussed the importance of job carving as 

a proven strategy to help some individuals with disabilities find employment, as well as the need for specialized 

trainers who have a deep understanding of different learning methods. (Mr. Carbone’s presentation can be 

found at: http://www.ntarcenter.org/research/research_projects.php.) 

Anastasia Urtz directs a Cornell Cooperative Extension program, A Different Shade of Green, which has received 

more than $317,000 from the New York State Department of Labor to provide green job training to veterans, 

many with disabilities. The program is designed to offer a green-focused, preparatory, work readiness program 

for 120 veterans, at least 30% of whom have been classified as disabled. The program combines 10-week training 

sessions, followed by month-long field training programs. Partners in the initiative include Onondaga County 

Veterans Service Agency, the Syracuse Veterans Administration Medical Center’s Vocational Rehabilitation 

Program, the Veterans Services representatives of the Central New York Works-One-Stop Career Center, as well as 

community colleges and other postsecondary institutions. A Different Shade of Green will provide opportunities 

across the food, renewable energy, and environment disciplines, as well as in emergency preparedness and office 

technologies. The program will operate in both rural and urban environments. 

Based on her experiences to date, Ms. Urtz emphasized the critical importance of collaborative partnerships 

to the development of successful green jobs employment programs, at the local level as well as the need for 

more inter-agency collaboration at the federal level. Among the potential federal partners she cited are the 

Department of Agriculture, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the Environmental Protection 

Agency, and the Departments of Energy, Labor, and Education. Ms. Urtz also spoke of the importance of 

matching individuals’ aptitudes and job requirements, including both their existing skill sets and their job 

preferences. One example she gave was of veterans who may prefer outdoor work to being at a desk. 
Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline Page 7 

Ms. Urtz noted that green job development requires a prepared workforce but also regional economic 

development activities that result in demand for the trained workers. She urged states and local areas to develop 

strategies for joint economic and job development projects that address both national priorities and local 

needs, improving the status quo for people, communities, the environment, and national security. At the same 

time, she cautioned against “over-planning” that can result in a backlog of unimplemented plans. (For more 

information, visit: http://www.extendonondaga.org/community-support/different-shade-of-green/. For Ms. 

Urtz’s presentation, visit: http://www.ntarcenter.org/research/research_projects.php.) 

A question-and-answer session was held after the presentation, moderated by Maria Heidkamp, Director of the 

NTAR Leadership Center’s State Leaders Innovation Institute and Senior Research Project Manager at the 

Heldrich Center. Discussion emanating from the session focused on the challenges of replicating, scaling up, 

and sustaining pilot programs, noting that not all pilot programs are worthy of sustaining. The presenters 

and participants discussed the importance of partnerships between the workforce system and vocational 

rehabilitation agencies. There was also a brief conversation about which institutions should be doing what 

kind of green job training, from vocational-technical schools to community colleges to other postsecondary 

institutions, and that people with disabilities and other job seekers may eventually need training from a range of 

institutions, especially as they make their way up through a career pathway. The need for broad environmental 

literacy and education were mentioned, as was reaching out to faith-based organizations as partners. Participants 

noted that many of the various populations being discussed by the presenters, including ex-offenders, youth, 

mature individuals, veterans, low-income and low-skill individuals, and others often have an overlay of disability 

that has to be considered in designing and providing training and employment services for them. Assistant 

Secretary Kathy Martinez stressed the need for people in leadership positions in agencies that are advancing the 

employment of people with disabilities to recruit and hire people with disabilities themselves. 

Federal Panel: Reflecting on Strategies for Inclusion of People with 

Disabilities in the Green Talent Pipeline 

In the afternoon session, ODEP Assistant Secretary Kathy Martinez, and Deputy Assistant Secretary Gerri Fiala, 

from USDOL/ETA, participated in a panel discussion on the role of key federal programs and activities to 

promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in ETA and other job creation and reemployment strategies. 

The session was moderated by Carl Van Horn, Professor and Director of the Heldrich Center. 

Assistant Secretary Martinez’s remarks focused on the tremendous opportunities presented by new leadership 

and new federal activities, as well as the imperative to encourage the inclusion of people with disabilities in 

national recovery efforts. She also emphasized the importance of adopting universal access and universal design 

for learning principles as an integral part of all employment and economic development efforts. (See Appendix 

D for Assistant Secretary’s Martinez’s remarks.) 

Deputy Assistant Secretary Fiala discussed the opportunities for stronger inclusion policies and strategies 

presented by the federal stimulus dollars, including recently awarded ETA green jobs grants. (Information on 

these grants can be found at: http://www.dol.gov/dol/green.) She also referred to opportunities connected to 

the upcoming reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act. In addition, Assistant Secretary Fiala mentioned 

that more work needs to be done to capture and share the lessons that are emerging from preparation and 

training program that are targeting people with disabilities, both in green efforts as well as other industry 

sectors. Finally, she noted the importance of partnerships at the federal level to improve the employment 

outcomes for people with disabilities, starting with that between ETA and ODEP. 
Page 8 Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline 

Roundtable Discussion Highlights and Recommendations 

Throughout the day and in the facilitated leadership dialogues, participants identified several key high-level 

themes and general priority areas that they felt would promote the greater inclusion of people with disabilities 

in the emerging green jobs talent pipeline. Participants were divided into two groups and tasked with answering 

the following questions: 

 Question 1: What would you recommend to federal and state agencies that would help to better create and/ 

or expand job training, skills development, and educational opportunities for people with disabilities in the 

emerging green economy? 

 Question 2: What would you recommend to federal and state agencies to increase contracting and/or 

business development opportunities for disability-owned businesses as it pertains to the green economy and 

workforce? 

 Question 3: What specific incentives would you recommend be provided to public and private-sector 

partners and alliances to implement and/or expand employment services that would expedite the entry of 

people with disabilities into green economy jobs and careers? 

The participants’ responses to these questions resulted in broad recommendations that reflect a sense that 

while green jobs are currently a national priority for training and job creation, the needs of job seekers with 

disabilities must be more fully incorporated into all aspects of federally funded and other employment and 

training initiatives. In addition to these broad recommendations from the participants, an addendum featuring 

additional recommendations, based on recent Heldrich Center green jobs research, follows. 

Recommendation #1: Federal and state green job training grants and contracts should 

encourage the use of universal design principles to better serve all clients. 

Universal design refers to the use of common strategies that benefit many groups, and that reinforce the concept 

of an inclusive setting that welcomes and celebrates diversity. 

Participants recommended that the principles of universal design should be promoted and implemented in 

green job creation and green job training programs and services, not only to ensure access for everyone, but 

also to avoid duplication of efforts, such as setting up parallel programs and services targeted exclusively to 

individuals with disabilities. 

Participants suggested that federal grants and contracts, including major federal programs such as the 

Workforce Investment Act as well as any federally supported green jobs training programs, should strongly 

encourage universal design elements in their project design, outreach, and services. The Center for Universal 

Design at North Carolina State University has developed principles and guidelines for universal design, which 

the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston has adapted to include 

examples of how these principles can apply to serving Workforce Investment Act customers at One-Stop Career 

Centers.5

 Many of the examples could also apply to the design of green jobs training opportunities. (Information 

on universal design tools can be found at: http://www.dol.gov/odep/categories/workforce/univ_des.htm.)
Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline Page 9 

The universal design principle of “equitable use,” for example, states that design of programs and services 

should be useful to people with a range of abilities. The guidelines recommend developing designs that are 

appealing to all users and avoid segregating particular ones. Applying this principle to a One-Stop Career 

Center, ICI suggests that during orientation, staff might ask all customers, not just those who may appear to 

have a disability, if they need help registering for services. Another example includes making information on 

all services available to all customers, being careful to avoid making the assumption that certain groups of 

customers may not be interested in certain services.6 

Another principle, “perceptible information,” states that the design should communicate important information 

effectively to users regardless of their sensory abilities. At a One-Stop Career Center, this might involve requiring 

staff to present information in several ways (verbally and in writing as well as including graphics), allowing 

customers to get the information in ways that work best for them.7

 Applying this principle would benefit all job 

seekers in green jobs training programs as well, who undoubtedly represent a wide mix of learning styles. For 

more information, visit: http://www.communityinclusion.org/article.php?article_id=268. 

The principles of universal design should also apply to Internet resources and Web sites used by state and local 

public workforce agencies to promote green jobs employment and training opportunities. Employers and 

private training providers should also be encouraged to ensure their Web sites are fully accessible to job seekers 

with disabilities. 

Recommendation #2: People with disabilities should be explicitly referenced and 

included in all aspects of green job creation and green job training promoted and 

funded by the federal government. 

While the expanding green jobs sector is potentially promising for people with disabilities, the overall labor 

market experience and employment prospects for people with disabilities have been historically poor. 

Participants recommended a more concerted push by the federal government to proactively foster the inclusion 

of people with disabilities in its formula and competitively funded job training and job creation strategies. This 

would help ensure that people with disabilities have the opportunity to participate in all sectors of the economy 

that are poised for growth, not just the green sector. 

The federal government can have a great impact by requiring that any company or organization receiving 

federal funds for green job creation must demonstrate its active embrace of ODEP’s “Win with Ability” 

guidelines, such as: 

	 Communicating the management’s commitment to hire and accommodate people with disabilities to all 

levels of the organization, especially to supervisors and managers responsible for new hires. 

	 Including clear language inviting people with disabilities to apply in job announcements circulated by the 

employer. 

	 Training interviewers and hiring officials to comply with federal and state disability nondiscrimination laws, 

and identifying the essential functions of all positions. 
Page 10 Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline 

	 Making proper workplace accommodations to enable an employee with a disability to perform the duties of 

the job fully and competently. 

	 Giving employees with disabilities access to all company training programs and materials once hired in order 

to encourage employee advancement.8 

In addition, employers should be encouraged to consider workplace flexibility strategies, including flexibility 

around job tasks, to improve the opportunities for individuals with disabilities to participate in the green 

economy. 

Federal officials noted that it is important for the federal government itself, as well as federal grantees 

and contractors, to demonstrate leadership and be agents of change in this area, implementing proactive 

recruitment and accessible hiring strategies and practices within their organizations. The federal government 

can also give priority to hiring disability-owned businesses as vendors for goods and services, both tied to the 

expanding green economy and in other areas. The U.S. Business Leadership Network, a national disability 

organization representing over 60 affiliate business leadership networks and over 5,000 employers, is promoting 

a Disability Supplier Diversity Program through which businesses can obtain Disability-Owned Business 

Enterprise Certification, which, over time, should make it easier to identify disability-owned contractors and 

service providers. 

Recommendation #3: Practices that have been documented to improve employment 

opportunities and working conditions for people with disabilities should be encouraged 

and included as allowable activities for funding in federal programs that support green 

jobs and other training. 

Participants suggested that elements of promising practices from federal and state pilot programs that have 

served people with disabilities, such as better assessment techniques and elements of customized employment 

strategies, can potentially be implemented to the benefit of all job seekers. Participants noted that while there is 

a place for experimenting and documenting new innovative practices to help job seekers with disabilities, efforts 

should be made to incorporate practices that have been demonstrated to be successful into guidance that is 

issued to green jobs grantees and Workforce Investment Act formula-funded programs to increase the likelihood 

that programs will go to scale and be sustainable. Attendees proposed that a joint ETA-ODEP Training and 

Employment Notice or Guidance Letter addressed to recipients of green jobs and other training grants might be 

a useful way to promote such practices. 

Recommendation #4: Federal programs and resources need to reinforce and foster 

collaboration across service agencies, levels of government, and programs to reduce 

duplication of efforts and increase effectiveness in serving job seekers with disabilities 

who are seeking green jobs training and employment. 

Roundtable participants echoed earlier presenters who called for more comprehensive coordination and 

collaboration across federal, state, and local agencies and organizations, both in the green jobs area as well as 

in solicitations for resources to pay for green jobs training and job creation. This is important for serving all job 
Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline Page 11 

seekers but especially important in serving individuals with disabilities and other job seekers with challenges to 

employment. Most importantly at the federal and state levels, participants recommended that this coordination 

could be achieved through several avenues, including: 

	 Improving communication across all federal, state, and local programs and services that provide not only 

employment services, but those that provide health and human services, mental health, justice, housing, 

transportation, and other wraparound services; 

	 Better coordinating federal, state, and local policies, including prioritizing people with disabilities as a target 

population for employment services and supports; 

	 Improving collaboration between programs and funding streams that support job training, including those 

sponsored by economic development agencies; 

	 Promoting administrative data sharing and cross-agency data analysis among federal, state, and local agencies 

and organizations; 

	 Developing a standard definition of the term “green jobs” based on labor market information; 

	 Eliminating longstanding policy barriers (e.g., losing Unemployment Insurance benefits when participating 

in training programs); and 

	 Encouraging state and local agencies to develop more employer-responsive training, especially as provided 

through the One-Stop Career Centers, such as sector strategies. 

This kind of coordinated structure would significantly increase the chances that job seekers with disabilities who 

contact an agency for job assistance will also become part of a public network that includes vital support services 

— such as health care and transportation — that allow them to access and retain employment. 

Recommendation #5: The federal government should support the mapping of newly 

available green jobs-related resources and training opportunities at the federal, state, 

and local levels. 

Participants recommended that emerging green jobs education and training resources for people with and 

without disabilities, portable green jobs credentials recognized by states and employers, as well as disability 

training programs, should be mapped. The roundtable participants acknowledged that existing programs were 

not widely known for a variety of reasons, but also because many were just emerging. 
Page 12 Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline 

Recommendation #6: Governments and service providers need assistance in better 

marketing green jobs training and employment opportunities available to people with 

disabilities, as well as the advantages to emerging green businesses of hiring people with 

disabilities. 

Roundtable participants expressed concern about the lack of information available to people with disabilities 

about new and emerging training and work-based learning programs and opportunities, especially those funded 

through federal stimulus and competitive grant dollars. In addition, they noted that green economy employers 

should be made better aware of the benefits of hiring qualified and well-trained people with disabilities, 

including information about free consulting available from the Job Accommodation Network on assistive 

technology to provide low-cost reasonable accommodations for workers with disabilities. As such, participants 

recommended putting in place efforts to improve the marketing of available information and resources for 

people with disabilities to participate in green jobs training and work-based learning programs. They also 

identified a need for better information about eligible employees and contractors with disabilities to reach 

employers who are benefiting from federal stimulus funds as a way of ensuring full participation of people with 

disabilities in the green jobs talent pipeline. 

Recommendation #7: Encourage greater use of current federal and state tax incentive 

programs, as well as create incentives for hiring people with disabilities into the green 

jobs sector in concert with strong work preparation and job creation strategies. 

A number of participants suggested that the availability of more dedicated and better designed hiring incentives 

for businesses that create a receptive hiring environment for people with disabilities in green jobs may help to 

better ensure their participation. These hiring incentives, they noted, would need to be coupled with strong 

work preparation and job creation strategies. They also stated the need for better promotion of existing, 

underutilized tax incentives that are already available to employers, such as the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, to 

help cover the costs of making access improvements for customers and employees with disabilities. 

Recommendation #8: Develop green job career pathways and ladders as well as 

performance measures for federal employment and training programs that reward job 

retention and career advancement instead of short-term placement goals. 

Many training programs focus on getting a job seeker or new employee trained for entry-level work and do 

not necessarily provide opportunities for career advancement. To create a sustained green jobs workforce, 

roundtable participants believe that more attention needs to be paid to the development of career pathways and 

ladders that allow new entrants in green jobs to progress to the next level. The green jobs sector, they noted, can 

learn from models for career pathways that have been developed by the workforce system in other high-growth 

sectors, including health care and biotechnology. 

Another way to encourage longer-term careers in green jobs is to increase the use of “stackable credentials” that 

several states are currently experimenting with in partnership with postsecondary education and community 

colleges. These are programs that allow young adults and working people to build their skills with short-term 

certificate programs that require less time to complete than traditional semester-long college courses. Some 

credentials enhance pre-college skills such as math, writing, and reading comprehension. Others focus on job 
Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline Page 13 

training and technical education. Stackable credentials are often made part of agreements between high schools 

and colleges to recognize certain credits from each other’s course offerings. 

Participants recommended that these strategies needed to be fostered in concert with the development of 

performance measures in federal job training programs that focus on job retention and career advancement of 

people with and without disabilities, instead of focusing solely on short-term placement goals. 

Addendum on the Emerging Green Jobs Field 

To complement the recommendations made by participants at the roundtable, recent research conducted by the 

Heldrich Center offers additional insights for the roundtable participants, policymakers, and others interested 

in understanding the current status of green jobs and related education and training, as well as those interested 

in how to inform and prepare job seekers with disabilities about opportunities in the green economy. Highlights 

from this research are referenced in this addendum and include:9 

	 Many green jobs are more likely to be traditional jobs with a green focus that sometimes, though not always, 

requires a green layer of knowledge and skill. These jobs include such occupations as construction worker, 

accountant, engineer, computer analyst, clerk, factory worker, truck driver, mechanic, scientist, and others. 

The largest number of occupations that will most likely have a green focus will require moderately skilled 

labor, such as in construction, facilities management, and manufacturing. 

	 For the near to mid-term future, much green job creation will be tied to public spending and will be focused 

in renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors. 

	 New interest in and funding for green training has caused a boom in training development, but a lack of 

regulation has resulted in wide variations in program and provider quality across the nation. 

	 Both job counselors and job seekers, including those with and without disabilities, will require better 

information on the connections between training and job availability to make informed choices. 

Defining High-Quality Green Job Training 

The Heldrich Center has identified a number of critical indicators for what constitutes high-quality green job 

training. These indicators are important to relay to green jobs job seekers with disabilities as well as employment 

counselors: 

 High-quality green job training is responsive to labor market demand. This means that, ideally, the training results 

in portable, standardized credentials that are valued by the region’s employers and comply with existing 

and planned government regulations. It also requires that the training developed is based on labor market 

data, information from employers, and input from experts who are striving to understand the evolving green 

job market. Training developers and job seekers alike need to be aware of what green jobs are currently 

available, which jobs employers and energy policy experts expect to grow and when, and which credentials 

are sought by employers and government funders. In addition, training programs should involve strong 
Page 14 Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline 

partnerships with employers, such as opportunities to provide customized pre-employment training for local 

employers. 

	 High-quality training programs should ensure that participants obtain necessary traditional core job skills plus green 

skills. This is especially true for job seekers with or without disabilities who have little or no construction or 

manufacturing experience or training. 

	 High-quality training programs should be tied to a career pathway that prepares workers for the next step on the training 

ladder. Good job training programs should articulate to higher-level training tied to higher-wage jobs along a 

career continuum. In addition, job seekers should look to see whether support services are available to help 

ensure successful completion of programs and advancement. Currently, research is uncovering evidence 

of a growing trend toward crowding at the bottom, or entry-level training, and a lack of career ladder 

transparency. 

As the green economy is currently evolving, energy efficiency and renewable energy standards for the level of 

efficiency or workmanship on projects are still being developed and debated. So, too, are standards for training 

and credentials. The largely still unregulated training market has resulted in inexperienced and experienced 

training providers offering an array of certificates and credentials. College credits are generally valued by 

employers. Certifications may apply to individuals, businesses, and/or projects, and are often less valuable and 

less portable in the labor market. 

All in all, because of the newness of the green jobs training market, state policymakers, job counselors, and job 

seekers with and without disabilities should ask questions of training providers to ascertain program quality and 

labor market relevance. These questions should include: 

	 What job(s) will this training prepare students to fill? Is there evidence of demand for these jobs? 

	 What credential is offered? Is there evidence of demand for this credential? 

	 Does the program have formal partnerships with employers to improve the chances of or guarantee 

placement after training? 

	 Will this course be sufficient to qualify participants for jobs? Does it prepare workers for a career ladder? Is it 

connected to higher-level training, if applicable? 

	 What is the employment rate of those who complete the course? Are they working in this field? 

	 Does the credential align with existing or planned credential requirements imposed by government funding 

agencies? 
Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline Page 15 

Other key questions to help determine training provider quality include:
 

 Is the provider licensed and accredited in the state (if not on the Eligible Training Provider List)?
 

 Is the provider accredited or approved by the credential developer to teach the course? (Though this is not a 


requirement for good training, it provides better assurances.) 

 Does the provider have a history of offering programs that result in high placement rates? 

Recommendations for Workforce Professionals 

The Heldrich Center makes the following broad recommendations for state and local workforce development 

professionals as they seek to support regional green job training programs: 

	 Consider more rigorous standards for funding green industry training providers; 

	 Establish better inventories of existing training programs in the green jobs area to address gaps; 

	 Seek and support high-quality partnerships with green industry employers that include hiring agreements 

and access to career ladders/lattices; and 

	 Build tools that provide program funders, counselors, and job seekers with better information on demand in 

the emerging green industry as it evolves, with opportunities for continuous feedback. 
Page 16 Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline 

End Notes 

1. For additional information on defining green jobs, see the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor 

Statistics, Notice of Solicitation of Comments (Federal Register, Volume 75, Number 50, Tuesday, March 16, 

2010) on the definition BLS will use in measuring green jobs located at http://stats.bls.gov/green/home.htm. 

2. For additional information on defining green jobs, see Preparing the Workforce for a Green Jobs Economy (New 

Brunswick, NJ: John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, 2009) at http://bit.ly/g4D1kc. 

3. For more information on these models, visit: http://www.hbi.org/page.cfm?pageID=128. 

4. For more information on the green jobs for people with disabilities initiative in Connecticut, visit the NTAR 

Leadership Center’s webinar “Going Green: What the Workforce System Can Do to Leverage Opportunities for 

Job Seekers in the Emerging Clean Energy Economy” at: http://ntarcenter.org/audio_visual/webinars.php. 

5. David Hoff, Elena Varney, Lara Enein-Donovan, Cindy Thomas, and Sheila Lynch Fesko, Access for All 

Customers: Universal Strategies for One-Stop Career Centers (Boston: Institute for Community Inclusion, 2009), 

retrieved from: http://www.communityinclusion.org/article.php?article_id=268. 

6. Ibid. 

7. Ibid. 

8. Six Steps to a Win-Win Employment Situation (Des Moines, IA: Iowa Workforce Access, no date), retrieved from: 

http://www.iowaworkforce.org/access/sixsteps.html. 

9. Going Green: Ensuring Success for Green Job Training Programs and Participants, presentation by Jennifer LenahanCleary, USDOL ETA Heartland Conference, April 2010, retrieved from: http://bit.ly/gtzmXL.
Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline Page 17 

Appendix A. Agenda 

8:00 - 9:00 a.m.
 

Registration and Continental Breakfast
 

9:00 - 9:30 a.m.
 

Welcome and Introductions
 

Kathy Krepcio, Director, NTAR Leadership Center 

Assistant Secretary Kathy Martinez, USDOL, ODEP 

9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
 

Framing the Discussion: Green Jobs/Good Jobs for All: Identifying Trends and Fostering State and Local Opportunities, 


Strategies, and Strategic Alliances
 

	 What are the potential workforce opportunities, challenges, and barriers for people with disabilities in the 

emerging green economy? 

	 What are the workforce and educational needs and how can states work to ensure inclusion in these efforts 

for people with disabilities? 

	 What partnerships are needed (in state and local government, nonprofits, organized labor, private sector, 

and universities and colleges) to ensure that people with disabilities are ready to meet the needs of a new 

green economy? 

NTAR Leadership Center staff will lead a discussion with all participants on how state, regional, and local 

agencies might pursue a more rapid move to prepare and include people with disabilities to meet the workforce 

needs of a new green economy. This session will frame the discussion for the remainder of the day and lay out 

key considerations for federal, state, and local agencies as they continue to ensure a ready and able workforce for 

a new green economy. 

Moderator: 

Kathy Krepcio, Director, NTAR Leadership Center 

Speakers: 

Ann Randazzo, Executive Director, Center for Energy Workforce Development 

Jeff Rickert, Director, AFL-CIO Green Jobs Center 

Dennis Torbett, Vice President, Workforce Training and Employment, Home Builders Institute, National 

Association of Home Builders 
Page 18 Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline 

10:45 - 11:00 a.m. 

Break 

11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. 

Expanding the Discussion: Green Jobs/Good Jobs for All: Promoting Inclusion in State, Regional, and Local Green Economy 

Efforts 

Speakers will discuss what policies and practices can be developed to expand opportunities for people with 

disabilities in the green economy, and how to engage stakeholders, including people with disabilities, state 

policymakers, educators/training providers, organized labor, Chief Business Officers, and employers, to expedite 

the entry of people with disabilities into jobs in the green economy. 

Moderator: 

Maria Heidkamp, Director, State Leaders Innovation Institute, NTAR Leadership Center 

Speakers: 

Karen McCulloh, Executive Director, disabilityworks, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce 

Elizabeth Reynoso, Coordinator of Planning and Community Partnerships, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice 

Joe Carbone, CEO, The WorkPlace, Inc., Connecticut 

Anastasia L. Urtz, Executive Director, Cornell Cooperative Extension Service of Onondaga 

12:15 - 1:15 p.m.
 

Networking Lunch
 

1:15 - 2:30 p.m.
 

Facilitated Leadership Dialogue: Incentivizing Change 


Building on the earlier discussions, the participants will break into two groups to discuss creative solutions 

and ideas about federal and state policy changes that can support the emergence, growth, and success of new 

ventures that can result in skills training, preparation, job creation, and employment of people with disabilities 

in the emerging green economy. Breakout groups will be asked to briefly report back on their top six ideas to 

promote greater inclusion, preparation, and job creation for people with disabilities in the green economy. 

	 What would you recommend to federal and state agencies that would help to better create and/or expand 

job training, skills development, and educational opportunities for people with disabilities in the emerging 

green economy? 

	 What would you recommend to federal and state agencies to increase contracting and/or business 

development opportunities for disability-owned businesses as it pertains to the green economy and 

workforce? 

	 What specific incentives would you recommend be provided to public and private-sector partners and 

alliances to implement and/or expand employment services that would expedite the entry of people with 

disabilities into green economy jobs and careers? 
Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline Page 19 

Facilitators, Group 1: 

Kathy Krepcio and Aaron Fichtner, Director, Research and Evaluation, John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce 

Development 

Facilitators, Group 2: 

Maria Heidkamp and Jennifer Cleary, Senior Project Manager, Heldrich Center 

2:30 - 2:45 p.m.
 

Break
 

2:45 - 3:00 p.m.
 

Report Back on Recommended Actions
 

Each breakout group will report back on their top six ideas 

3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
 

Federal Panel: Reflecting on Strategies for Inclusion of People with Disabilities in the Green Talent Pipeline
 

This panel will feature speakers from the federal government to discuss the role of key federal programs and 

activities to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in green efforts, to provide an update on recent 

guidance, and how federal efforts can support state efforts. 

Moderator: 

Carl Van Horn, Director, Heldrich Center 

Speakers: 

Deputy Assistant Secretary Gerri Fiala, USDOL/ETA 

Assistant Secretary Kathy Martinez 

4:00 - 4:15 p.m. 

Wrap Up and Adjourn 

Results of the day will be briefly reviewed and key issues identified 

Carl Van Horn 
Page 20 Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline 

Appendix B. Roundtable Participants 

Roy Albert 

Deputy Director 

Department on Disability Service Rehabilitation Service Administration 

Stacy Bare 

Director of Operations 

Veterans Green Jobs 

Savannah Barnett 

Research Project Coordinator 

Heldrich Center 

Carol Boyer 

Policy Advisor 

USDOL/ODEP 

Susanne Bruyere 

Associate Dean and Professor of Disability Studies 

Cornell University ILR School 

Debra Bultnick 

Industry Liaison 

Minnesota DEED 

Christopher Button 

Supervisory Policy Advisor 

USDOL/ODEP 

Joseph Carbone 

President/CEO 

The Workplace, Inc. 

Randee Chafkin 

Senior Program Specialist for Disability Programs 

USDOL/ETA 

Jennifer Cleary 

Senior Project Manager 

Heldrich Center 

Eric Cline 

Program Coordinator 

Institute for Educational Leadership 
Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline Page 21 

Genie Cohen 

Executive Director 

International Association of Jewish Vocational Services 

Patrick Cokley 

Policy Advisor 

USDOL/ODEP 

Stephanie Creary 

Researcher 

The Conference Board 

Speed Davis 

Senior Policy Advisor 

USDOL/ODEP 

Wayne Donato 

Legislative/Government Affairs Staff 

United Steelworkers 

Rachel Dorman 

Policy Advisor 

USDOL/ODEP 

Karen Elzey 

Vice President 

Institute for a Competitive Workforce 

Adele Ferranti 

Program Manager 

NYSERDA 

Sheila Fesko 

Program Manager 

Institute for Community Inclusion 

Gerri Fiala 

Deputy Assistant Secretary 

USDOL/ETA 

Aaron Fichtner 

Director, Research and Evaluation 

Heldrich Center 

David Hale 

Program Manager 

AAPD 
Page 22 Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline 

Maria Heidkamp 

Senior Project Manager 

Heldrich Center 

Richard Horne 

Director, Division of Policy, Planning, and Research 

USDOL/ODEP 

Margaret Jemmott 

Program Specialist 

USDOL/ODEP 

Megan Juring 

Assistant Secretary 

California Health and Human Services Agency 

Jennifer Kemp 

Youth Team Lead 

USDOL/ODEP 

Kathy Krepcio 

Executive Director 

Heldrich Center 

Mary Mack 

Consultant 

MCM Advising 

Stephen Mandes 

Executive Director 

NIMS 

Kathy Mannes 

Director 

AACC 

Janet Marinaccio 

Workforce Development Consultant 

Goodwill Industries International 

Rita Martin 

Deputy Director 

Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation 

Kathy Martinez 

Assistant Secretary 

USDOL/ODEP 
Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline Page 23 

Karen McCulloh 

Executive Director 

Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce 

Shaun McGill 

Senior Policy Advisor 

USDOL/ODEP 

Michael Morris 

Director 

National Disability Institute 

Michele Myers 

Manager, Labor, Health, and Safety Policy 

American Wind Energy Association 

Heather Parker 

Research Analyst 

Social Dynamics LLC 

Kathleen Petkauskos 

Project Director 

Work Without Limits 

Raquel Pinderhughes 

Professor 

Department of Urban Studies and Planning, San Francisco State University 

Stephanie Powers 

Project Director 

Council on Foundations 

Susan Prokop 

Associate Advocacy Director 

Paralyzed Veterans of America 

Sally Prouty 

President and CEO 

The Corps Network 

Ann Randazzo 

Executive Director 

Center for Energy Workforce Development 

Michael Reardon 

Team Lead 

USDOL/ODEP 
Page 24 Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline 

Nanette Relave 

Director, Center for Workers with Disabilities 

APHSA 

Elizabeth Reynoso 

Coordinator of Planning and Community Partnerships 

New Jersey Institute for Social Justice/New Careers Project 

Jeff Rickert 

Director, AFL-CIO Center for Green Jobs 

Assistant Director, AFL-CIO Working for America Institute 

Eric Seleznow 

Executive Director 

Governor’s Workforce Investment Board 

Robin Shaffert 

Senior Director, Corporate Social Responsibility 

American Association of People with Disabilities 

Karen Shapiro 

Program Analyst 

USDOL/Women’s Bureau 

Chris Shead 

Executive Director 

DC Metro Business Leadership Network 

Lisa Stern 

Workforce and Disability Consultant 

Concepts, Inc. 

Kathy Thompson 

Senior Workforce Analyst 

Virginia Community College System 

Chonita Tillmon 

Workforce Analyst 

USDOL/ETA/BRG 

Dennis Torbett 

Vice President 

Home Builders Institute 

Anastasia Urtz 

Executive Director 

Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County 
Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline Page 25 

Jim Urtz 

Curriculum Manager 

LIUNA Training and Education Fund 

Carl Van Horn 

Director and Professor 

Heldrich Center 

Andy Van Kleunen 

Executive Director 

The Workforce Alliance 

Julie Ward 

Director of Employment and Transportation Policy 

The Arc and United Cerebral Palsy 

Don Wehbey 

Economics Director 

National Association of State Workforce Agencies 

Bob Williams 

Special Assistant to the Director 

DC Department on Disability Services 

Joan Wills 

Senior Fellow 

Institute for Educational Leadership 
Page 26 Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline 

Appendix C. Panelist Bios 

Joseph M. Carbone 

President and Chief Executive Officer 

The WorkPlace, Inc. 

Southwestern Connecticut’s Workforce Development Board 

Bridgeport, Connecticut 

Joe Carbone leads The WorkPlace, Inc., an innovative workforce development board that helps people prepare 

for careers and develops the workforce for employers in southwestern Connecticut. The WorkPlace, Inc. serves 

more than 22,000 people and 200 businesses a year in a 20-town region bridging Fairfield and New Haven 

counties. 

With his leadership, The WorkPlace, Inc. has combined the passion of a private nonprofit with the 

accountability, innovation, and competitive spirit of a business in order to design and fund expanded services. 

This drive has resulted in new “value-added” revenue streams (from competitive federal grants, private 

contributions, and a fee-for-service division) and has led to numerous “R&D” initiatives (national demonstration 

projects and pilots), expanding the state of the art in workforce development. 

Joe is a champion for regional workforce and economic development initiatives (such as WIRED). He 

emphasizes creating value added through broader collaboration, ensuring that the system invests its resources 

to serve new constituencies (such as low-wage workers, immigrants, youth, and older workers) and to create an 

enduring impact. Joe’s unique perspective grows from his experience working in the private sector (Manager 

of Government Relations for both Textron and the Allied Signal Corporation.), government (Assistant to the 

Mayor of New Haven during a decade of major urban redevelopment), and nonprofits (The WorkPlace, Inc. 

since 1996, including its network of partners). Joe has a B.S. in Economics from Quinnipiac University. 

Maria Heidkamp 

Senior Project Manager 

John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development 

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey 

New Brunswick, New Jersey 

Maria Heidkamp, a Senior Project Manager at the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, is 

currently managing the NTAR Leadership Center’s State Leaders Innovation Institute pilot project, working 

with the states of Connecticut, Maryland, and Minnesota, as well as providing support to NTAR’s State Peer 

Leaders Network. She is also involved in research and technical assistance projects on older workers and 

dislocated workers. She recently completed a best practices study of state layoff “Rapid Response” systems under 

the Workforce Investment Act. She also co-authored with Carl Van Horn two issue briefs (Older and Out of Work: 

Trends in Older Worker Displacement and Older and Out of Work: Employer, Government, and Non-Profit Assistance) for 

the Sloan Center on Aging and Work at Boston College. Before joining the Heldrich Center, Ms. Heidkamp 

worked overseas for the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Agency for International Development as the 

Director of the Labor Market Transition Project in Hungary, and served as a technical advisor on dislocated 

workers, customized training, and economic development in transition economies. She has worked as a Policy 

Analyst for the National Governors Association covering a range of workforce issues and served as Director of 

the Wisconsin Labor-Management Council. She has a degree in government from Cornell University and was 
Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline Page 27 

awarded the first Random House Publishing Studies fellowship at New York University, where she attended 

graduate school. 

Kathy Krepcio 

Executive Director 

John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development 

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey 

New Brunswick, New Jersey 

Kathy Krepcio is the Executive Director of the Heldrich Center, responsible for executive management and dayto-day oversight of administration, research, technical assistance, client service, and project operations. Krepcio 

brings to the Heldrich Center an exceptional track record in government and nonprofit executive leadership, 

policy, and program development. Prior to joining the Center, she served as Chief of Staff in the New Jersey 

State Office of Information Technology managing the key business activities of the state’s central information 

technology organization, and as the Director for Policy and Planning at the New Jersey Department of Human 

Services where she was responsible for providing policy research, development, and analysis on a wide range of 

human services areas, including development of state welfare reform efforts. 

Krepcio appears frequently as a speaker at conferences and public meetings, and played a lead role in managing 

the Center’s intensive technical assistance and program design work for the September 11th Fund’s $78 million 

employment assistance program for dislocated workers in the greater New York/New Jersey region. 

In addition to her responsibilities as Executive Director, Kathy leads the Center’s disability and employment 

work and currently serves as the project director of the NTAR Leadership Center, a new workforce consortium 

sponsored by USDOL ODEP and based at the Heldrich Center. NTAR’s mission is to build capacity and 

leadership at the federal, state, and local levels to enable change across workforce development and disabilityspecific systems that will increase employment for adults with disabilities. She earned a Master of Arts from the 

Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University and a Bachelor of Arts from the Maxwell School at Syracuse 

University. 

Kathleen Martinez 

Assistant Secretary 

U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy 

Washington, D.C. 

Kathleen Martinez was nominated by President Barack Obama to be the third Assistant Secretary for Disability 

Employment Policy and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 25, 2009. As head of the U.S. Department of 

Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), Ms. Martinez advises the Secretary of Labor and works 

with all U.S. Department of Labor agencies to lead a comprehensive and coordinated national policy regarding 

the employment of people with disabilities. 

Blind since birth, Ms. Martinez comes to ODEP with a background as an internationally recognized disability 

rights leader specializing in employment, asset building, independent living, international development, 

diversity, and gender issues. 
Page 28 Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline 

She was appointed Executive Director of the World Institute on Disability (WID), based in Oakland, California, 

in 2005. Ms. Martinez directed Proyecto Visión, WID’s National Technical Assistance Center to increase 

employment opportunities for Latinos with disabilities in the United States, and Access to Assets, an assetbuilding project to help reduce poverty among people with disabilities. At WID, she also led the team that 

produced the acclaimed international webzine DisabilityWorld in English and Spanish. 

In 2007, she was appointed a member of the board of the U.S. Institute of Peace, a Congressionally created 

agency dedicated to research and projects in conflict management. In 2005, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice 

appointed her as one of eight public members of the newly established State Department advisory committee on 

disability and foreign policy. In 2002, she was appointed by President Bush as one of 15 members of the National 

Council on Disability, an independent federal agency advising the President and Congress on disability policy. 

Karen McCulloh 

Former Executive Director 

disabilityworks 

Chicago, Illinois 

Karen McCulloh was the first executive director of disabilityworks, which was founded at the Chicagoland 

Chamber of Commerce in June 2005. Karen is a registered nurse who has extensive clinical experience in 

emergency room, neurosurgical intensive care, and community health nursing. After becoming disabled, Karen 

returned to and graduated from Loyola University of Chicago. As a result of not being able to find employment 

after graduation, Karen set up her own for-profit small consulting firm in private practice as a Registered 

Nurse and ran this business for 15 years (1990-2005). She created a new field of nursing, Community Health 

Disability Education. Karen’s passion toward the mission of disabilityworks was a driving force in her accepting 

the Executive Director’s position. The mission is to increase the economic and employment opportunities of 

people with disabilities through the development of collaborative partnerships with both the public and private 

sectors. disabilityworks is an Illinois statewide initiative where a centralized system was set up for the Navigators 

and staff cover 46 comprehensive One-Stop Career Centers. The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor 

presented disabilityworks with a New Freedom Initiative Award in 2006. Karen served as a U.S. Department of 

Labor federal appointee beginning in 2006 to the National Job Corps Advisory Committee where she served as 

the Chair of the Disability Subcommittee. She resigned in November 2008 in order to join President-elect Barack 

Obama’s transition team. Karen serves on the NTAR Leadership Center’s Technical Advisory Panel and has 

been working on the national level with the Justice for All Employment Committee. In 2003, Karen co-founded 

the National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities. 

Jane Oates 

Assistant Secretary 

U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration 

Washington, D.C. 

Jane Oates was nominated by President Barack Obama to join Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis’ leadership team 

at the U.S. Department of Labor in April 2009. Confirmed as Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training 

on June 19, 2009, she now leads the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) in its mission to design 

and deliver high-quality training and employment programs for the nation’s workers. Working with states and 

territories, municipalities, labor management organizations, employers, educational institutions, fellow federal 

agencies, and other partners, ETA strives to assist workers in gaining the skills and credentials needed to enter 
Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline Page 29 

careers that pay family supporting wages and offer opportunities for advancement. With a nationwide reach and 

focus on good jobs in promising industries, ETA programs are designed to serve every American who aspires to 

career success. Prior to her appointment, Ms. Oates served as Executive Director of the New Jersey Commission 

on Higher Education and Senior Advisor to Governor Jon S. Corzine. In that position, Oates worked to 

strengthen the connections among high school, postsecondary education, and the workforce. Ms. Oates served 

for nearly a decade as Senior Policy Advisor for Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy. She worked closely 

with the Senator on a variety of education, workforce, and national service legislative initiatives, including the 

Workforce Investment Act of 1998. Ms. Oates began her career as a teacher in the Boston and Philadelphia 

public schools and later as a field researcher at Temple University’s Center for Research in Human Development 

and Education. She received her B.A. in Education from Boston College, and an M.Ed. in Reading from Arcadia 

University. 

Ann Randazzo 

Executive Director 

Center for Energy Workforce Development 

Washington, D.C. 

Ann Randazzo is the Executive Director of the Center for Energy Workforce Development. She assumed this 

position when the organization was incorporated in March 2006. The Center is a consortium of national energy 

associations, electric, and natural gas energy companies, and is solely focused on addressing the workforce 

needs of the energy industry. Ann is a former employee of the Georgia Power Company, a Southern Company 

and spent 22 years in a variety of positions in information technology, finance, customer operations, and the 

Southern Company College. Ann is the President of Randazzo Consulting, LLC. Prior to becoming Executive 

Director of CEWD, she spent 12 years providing strategic planning consulting to electric utilities, concentrating 

on human resources, training and development, and organization effectiveness. 

Elizabeth Reynoso 

Coordinator of Planning and Community Partnerships New Careers Project 

New Jersey Institute for Social Justice 

Newark, New Jersey 

After beginning her career in advocacy at Human Rights Watch, Elizabeth Reynoso produced documentary films 

for ABC News and PBS/Frontline. Covering subjects such as U.S. drug policy and the reentry journey of former 

prisoners led to her desire to work directly with families and communities beleaguered by the criminal justice 

system. 

Elizabeth’s commitment to healthier communities in New Jersey extends to promoting food and environmental 

justice through her work with Genesis Farm and Purple Dragon Co-op. In 2007 she was a co-chair for Newark’s 

Green Futures Summit and was selected as a Green for All Academy Fellow. 

Elizabeth received her B.A. from Wellesley College and studied film and journalism at the New School for Social 

Research and Columbia University, respectively. She is currently a Leadership Newark Fellow. 
Page 30 Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline 

Jeff Rickert 

Director, AFL-CIO Center for Green Jobs 

Assistant Director, AFL-CIO Working for America Institute 

Washington, D.C. 

Jeff Rickert came to the AFL-CIO Working for America’s new Center on Green Jobs after almost 15 years of 

working to get the nation on the economic and environmental high road. Most recently, Jeff provided consulting 

services and public policy advice on climate change and energy policy to the clients of Helios Strategies, a 

government relations firm. He previously served as the Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff for the Apollo 

Alliance, a clean energy coalition of more than 300 labor, business, environmental, and community-based 

organizations dedicated to a public investment agenda for achieving energy independence through clean energy 

and good jobs. In those roles, Jeff developed expertise in all aspects of energy policy, including renewable energy 

development, oil savings, carbon reduction, cap-and-trade, and energy efficiency policy and implementation. 

Jeff is actually returning to the AFL-CIO Working for America Institute, where for four years he served as 

an Economic Analyst providing assistance to AFL-CIO affiliates, their signatory employers, and labor central 

bodies across the nation. He holds a Master’s of Science in Economic Sociology from the University of 

Wisconsin-Madison, where he also worked at the Center on Wisconsin Strategy. He has done extensive study of 

manufacturing, hospitality, health care, media, and technology. 

Dennis Torbett
 

Vice President for Workforce Training and Employment
 

Home Builders Institute (HBI), the Workforce Development Arm of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)
 

Washington, D.C.
 

Mr. Torbett has over 30 years of experience in the employment and training and workforce development fields. 

He has directed residential construction apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship training programs at over 100 

sites nationwide, including programs for 50 state and local home builder associations, which represent over 

40,000 builder members and employers. As a senior executive staff member with HBI, Mr. Torbett communicates 

regularly with industry, government, and nonprofit officials at the highest levels, including boards of directors 

for both HBI and NAHB. He is directly responsible for the operation of HBI’s Workforce Training and 

Employment Department with a budget of over $5 million and 50 national and local staff. Mr. Torbett recognizes 

the contributions and power of a cohesive and dedicated staff. He attributes HBI’s success in promoting and 

advancing careers in the home building industry to the commitment of staff. 

As the Project Director for numerous public and private-sector funded training initiatives, Mr. Torbett oversees 

operations for grants and contracts with the U.S. Departments of Labor, Justice, Education, and Housing and 

Urban Development; Florida Department of Juvenile Justice; ComCor, Inc. (Colorado Springs, Colorado); 

Mississippi Department of Employment Security; Illinois Department of Corrections; Jefferson Parish 

(Louisiana) Workforce Investment Board; and others. His current responsibility includes oversight of national 

training initiatives for Hurricane Katrina relief, youth, older workers, people with disabilities, juvenile and 

adult offenders, homeless adults, veterans, women, youth mentoring, and the certification of industry training. 

Early in his career, he placed over 700 Job Corps graduates in career-progressive employment or apprenticeship 

programs in the home building industry. 
Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline Page 31 

Mr. Torbett’s contributions to the workforce development field are notable. He has participated in national 

events and task forces. From a recent invitation of The Aspen Institute and its Workforce Strategies Initiative, he 

offered advice and information on construction pre-apprenticeship programs for a national survey. 

ODEP and the Institute for Educational Leadership have included Mr. Torbett on a review panel to examine 

an issue paper and toolkit on how youth with disabilities can access apprenticeship opportunities to aid their 

transition to the workplace. He chaired the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department Justice-sponsored 

“Task Force on Employment and Training for Juvenile Offenders and High-Risk Youth.” His advocacy for 

systems-level changes in the juvenile justice arena was instrumental in facilitating federal regulations and 

funding for the U.S. Department of Labor’s “Youth Offender Demonstration Program.” 

For his entire career, Mr. Torbett has championed training and employment/career opportunities for the most 

disenfranchised and disadvantaged. Mr. Torbett has been the motivating force for successful and innovative 

industry-based, workforce development initiatives, Projects TRADE, CRAFT, HEART and HOPE, Operation 

Reconstruct programs for adult ex-offenders, adjudicated youth, homeless individuals, people with disabilities, 

and hurricane relief, respectfully. He continues to seek solutions for helping people “build a better life” in the 

home building industry. Mr. Torbett has a B.S. in Business and Management from the University of Maryland. 

Anastasia L. Urtz 

Associate Vice President and Dean of Students 

Syracuse University 

Syracuse, New York 

Anastasia L. Urtz brings 15 years of higher education leadership experience as an attorney and administrator 

to the Association, most recently serving Syracuse University as Associate Vice President and Dean of Students. 

Her focus is in the areas of community relations, strategic planning, policy development, organizational 

development, risk management, and legal compliance. 

Urtz holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Michigan, a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science 

from American University, and certification from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education’s 

Management Development Program. She is a member of the New York State Bar; a member of Congressman 

Maffei’s Advisory Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development; a member of the Syracuse Mayor-Elect’s 

Transition Team for Sustainability and the Environment; serves on the Outreach Committee of the Onondaga 

Lake Partnership, as well as the Town of Cazenovia Planning Board; and, is the immediate past-President of the 

Board of Directors of the Cazenovia Children’s House, a not-for-profit early education and childcare center. 
Page 32 Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline 

Carl E. Van Horn, Ph.D. 

Professor and Director 

John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development 

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey 

New Brunswick, New Jersey 

Carl Van Horn is a widely recognized expert on workforce, human resources, and employment policy issues 

with extensive experience in public and private sector policymaking. Van Horn is the Director of the Heldrich 

Center. At Rutgers, he is a member of the graduate faculties of public policy and planning, political science, 

management and labor relations, and education. Since 2006, he has also been the Chair of the Board of 

Directors of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, a position he was appointed to by Governor Jon 

Corzine. 

His publishing credits include more than 90 articles and 14 books, including No One Left Behind: Economic Change 

and the American Worker and A Nation at Work: The Heldrich Guide to the American Workforce. His status makes him 

a noted speaker at national and regional conferences, as well as a frequent source on labor, workforce, and 

economic issues for the national media. 

Prior to founding the Heldrich Center, Van Horn held several senior-level positions in government and higher 

education, including those with policymaking responsibility. He has been Director of Policy for the State of New 

Jersey, Senior Economist at the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress, and Chair of the Public Policy 

Department at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. Van Horn has advised the National Science 

Foundation and was appointed by President Clinton to a Presidential Emergency Board to mediate disputes 

between labor and management in the railroad industry. 

He has advised and consulted with a myriad of public and private organizations on human resource, training, 

education, and management issues, including the U.S. Departments of Labor and Education, the National 

Commission for Employment, and the National Science Foundation. In 2005, he was awarded an honorary 

doctorate in public service from Muskingum College. In 2008, he was appointed as a Research Fellow at the 

Sloan Center on Aging and Work at Boston College. 
Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline Page 33 

Appendix D: Strategies for Including People with Disabilities in the 

Green Jobs Talent Pipeline, Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by 

Assistant U.S. Secretary of Labor Kathy Martinez, Washington, D.C., 

December 16, 2009 

Thank you so much, Gerri, for sharing what ETA is doing on green jobs. 

ODEP is committed to working with ETA as a strong federal partner to ensure that the new DOL projects 

include workers and potential workers with disabilities. 

As ETA’s green grant competitions build the capacity of service providers to train workers for green jobs, ODEP 

and ETA will work together to ensure that the workforce development system implements universal design 

strategies for all providers, thus opening doors to many individuals previously untapped as workers in the green 

economy. 

For Americans with disabilities to have an equal chance to share in the full promise of this green economy, a 

conscious effort must be made to make these industries universally accessible so that all can participate in and 

reap the benefits of employment and career advancement. 

Thus a core tenet guiding these investments should be that in 21st Century America, people with disabilities 

increasingly must be prepared and tapped to be highly skilled workers in green, digital age, and other innovative 

industries. To do this, these investments should first of all incorporate universal access and universal design for 

learning principles and best practices as an integral part of all employment and economic development efforts. 

What do we mean when we say “universal access” and “universal design” strategies? 

Universal design or universal access is a lens through which every aspect of a business or service provider can be 

viewed in terms of its products, services, physical environment, communications, and technology, and that allow 

for attraction and retention of employees of all abilities. This ultimately can result in increased profitability and 

success for companies. 

Universal strategies increase ease of access to products, places, and services for multiple, diverse populations. 

Using universal design strategies means that facilities, programs, and services take into account the broad range 

of abilities, ages, reading levels, learning styles, languages, and cultures in their diverse workforce and customer 

base. While diversity brings experience, perspective, and stability to a workplace, it also means that employees 

and customers have a wider variety of needs and expectations. 

Universal strategies also apply to transportation for getting to and from work; green jobs’ educational curricula; 

and general communication access between employees, their employers, and their green jobs’ industry 

partnerships. 
Page 34 Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline 

To illustrate a recent ODEP universal strategies’ commitment, in September, through ODEP’s funding to 

NTAR’s State Leaders Innovation Institute, the Maryland Governor’s Workforce Investment Board submitted a 

resolution that stated, “In order to assure that there truly are no spare Marylanders, all of Maryland’s potential 

workers should be provided with universal access, services, and processes according to the principles known as 

universal design.” 

Workers with disabilities should also be prioritized as a target group to receive training and support to pursue 

high-skilled careers in green and other high-demand fields. 

Funding cooperative pilots by states, localities, employers, wages, and others to test effective ways of supporting 

people with significant disabilities who are on SSDI or SSI or at substantial risk of going on to the rolls to obtain 

and/or retain green collar employment at a livable wage is another investment that should be considered. 

Rewarding green businesses and industries that incorporate best practices in recruiting, hiring, accommodating, 

retaining, and promoting employees with disabilities in their business models is another strategy to review. 

Encouraging and seeding the development and educational investment of green microenterprises and small 

businesses owned and controlled by entrepreneurs with disabilities can provide infrastructure support for the 

green industries. 

Lastly, investing in the R&D of efficient and renewable energy, green universal design, hybrid cars, public transit, 

and affordable housing in ways that leverage and maximize benefits for all Americans, including those with 

disabilities and their families, is an investment that I believe everyone here supports. 

As you heard from Gerri, ETA’s Pathways Out of Poverty grants will support capacity building within the 

workforce development systems that are definitely needed to assist all people with complex employment needs, 

including those with disabilities. 

ODEP stands ready to assist all of the green jobs grant partners and teams — private industry, labor unions, 

the education community, job training providers, and community and faith-based organizations. We will make 

available all of our disability resources, such as the Job Accommodation Network — a free resource with a wealth 

of assistance on all areas of reasonable accommodation — as well as the technical assistance available through 

the National Training and Research (NTAR) Leadership Center and other ODEP resources. 

I know that you’ve heard from many of the panelists on identifying the trends, fostering state and local 

opportunities for strategic alliances, and promoting inclusion for all to support Secretary Solis’ goal of “Good 

Jobs for Everyone.” The afternoon facilitated discussions offered recommendations to incentivize these changes 

at the federal and state levels, and both ETA and ODEP will review all your recommendations as we consider 

concrete next step actions to undertake. 

We look forward to your questions at this time. 
Page 35 Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline 

Appendix E. Selected Roundtable Background Materials 

Preparing the Workforce for a “Green Jobs” Economy (Heldrich Center) 

http://bit.ly/g4D1kc 

Preparing the American Workforce for a “Green Jobs” Economy, Testimony of Kathy Krepcio, Executive Director, Heldrich 

Center for Workforce Development, before the House Committee on Education and Labor, Subcommittee on Workforce Protections 

Hearing entitled “Green Jobs and their Role in our Economic Recovery” 

Drive. Private Sector Demand for Sustainable Energy Solutions: A Comprehensive Roadmap to Achieve Energy Security, 


Sustainability, and Competitiveness (Council on Competitiveness)
 

http://bit.ly/frmIw1
 

Report of the National Commission on Energy Policy Task Force on America’s Future Energy Jobs
 

http://bit.ly/exMvJK 

Recovery through Retrofit: Report of the Middle Class Task Force Council on Environmental Quality 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/Recovery_Through_Retrofit_Final_Report.pdf 

Greening of the Industry: Energy Efficiency, Generation, Transmission, and Distribution (Center for Energy Workforce 

Development) 

http://www.cewd.org/greendocs/greenjobsdefinition.pdf 

Gaps in the Energy Workforce Pipeline: 2008 CEWD Survey Results (Center for Energy Workforce Development) 

http://www.cewd.org/documents/CEWD_08Results.pdf 

Green Collar Jobs: An Analysis of the Capacity of Green Businesses to Provide High Quality Jobs for Men and Women with 

Barriers to Employment (Raquel Pinderhughes) 

http://bss.sfsu.edu/raquelrp/documents/v13FullReport.pdf 

Home Builder Institute’s Offender Training Programs, Testimony of Dennis Torbett, Vice President, Workforce Training and 

Employment, Home Builders Institute, before the House Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of 

Columbia 

NTAR Leadership Center Webinars 

Going Green: What the Workforce System Can Do to Leverage Opportunities for Job Seekers in the Emerging Clean Energy 

Economy 

https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/playback/Playback.do?id=frxzwi
Page 36 Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline 

NTAR Leadership Center Research Briefs 

Collaborating and Coordinating with Employers (Elaine Katz and Richard Luecking, October 2009)
 

http://www.ntarcenter.org/files/NTAR_Issue_Brief_3_Collaborating_Coordinating.pdf
 

Entrepreneurship for Veterans with Disabilities: Lessons Learned from the Field (Gary Shaheen and William N. Myhill, 


October 2009)
 

http://www.ntarcenter.org/files/NTAR_Issue_Brief_1_Veterans.pdf
 

Leveraging State Economic Development Resources to Create Job Opportunities for People with Disabilities (Allison Kopicki, 


Kathy Krepcio, and Carl Van Horn, October 2009)
 

http://www.ntarcenter.org/files/NTAR_Issue_Brief_2_Economic_Development.pdf
 

From USDOL/ETA 

U.S. Department of Labor announces nearly $55 million in green jobs training grants through Recovery Act 

http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/eta20091439.htm 

From USDOL/ODEP 

Information about the following ODEP-sponsored initiatives can be found at: 

NTAR Leadership Center/Adult Technical Assistance Center 

http://www.ntarcenter.org 

Youth Technical Assistance Center 

http://www.ncwd-youth.info 

Employer Technical Assistance Center 

http://www.dol.gov/odep/programs/earn.htm 

Customized Employment 

http://www.dol.gov/odep/categories/workforce/cust_emp.htm 

Self-Employment Resources, Technical Assistance, and Training 

http://www.start-up-usa.biz/ 

Job Accommodation Network 

http://askjan.org 

The Business Case for Hiring People with Disabilities 

http://www.earnworks.com/BusinessCase/index.asp
Strategies for Including People with Disabilites in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline Page 37 

About ODEP Additional Information 

The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) provides national leadership on 

disability employment policy by developing and influencing the use of evidence-based 

disability employment policies and practices, building collaborative partnerships, and 

delivering authoritative and credible data on employment of people with disabilities. 

For more information about this report, 

contact Maria Heidkamp at 732.932.4100 

x6313 or via email at heidkamp@rutgers. 

edu 

About the NTAR Leadership Center 

Founded in 2007 under a grant/contract with the Office of Disability Employment Policy 

at the U.S. Department of Labor, the NTAR Leadership Center’s mission is to build 

capacity and leadership at the federal, state, and local levels to enable change across 

workforce development and disability-specific systems that will increase employment 

and economic self-sufficiency for adults with disabilities. 

This report was published by the NTAR Leadership Center, funded by a grant/contract from the U.S. Department 

of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (Number OD-16563-07-75-4-34). The opinions expressed herein 

do not necessarily reflect the position of policy of the U.S. Department of Labor. Nor does mention of trade names, 

commercial products, or organizations imply the endorsement of the U.S. Department of Labor. 

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution providing 

access to education and employment without regard to age, race, color, national origin, gender, religion, sexual 

orientation, veteran’s status, political affiliation, or disability. If special accommodations or language translation 

are needed, contact (732) 932-4100, x6330.