MARC Green Workforce Study and Green Jobs Portal Marry Research With Real-Time Technology to Support Green Economy

Portal is the First Multi-State Labor Exchange with Geographic Interface in US History

MILLERSVILLE, Md., July 5, 2011/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Mid-Atlantic Regional Collaborative's (MARC) Green Consortium is pleased to announce that its groundbreaking Green Data for a Growing Green Economy research reports and state-of-the-art green jobs portal are now available at www.marcgreenworks.com. The MARC Green Works Jobs portal provides free, real-time job search and recruitment tools for DC, Maryland and Virginia jobseekers and employers while the Green Data for a Growing Green Economy reports give individuals from the government, education and business communities an unprecedented look at the state of the region's green workforce. The project was funded through a $4 million competitive grant from the US Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Ten top findings of the Green Data for a Growing Green Economy include:

1. The green economy represents an estimated $34.8 billion in terms of DC, Maryland, and Virginia's gross regional product or GRP;
2. 8-9% of region's employers with more than one employee have green jobs;
3. 235,600 green jobs exist in the region and that number is expected to grow by 12% in the next two years;
4. 50% of green jobs were concentrated in the construction, technical services, and education/policy sectors although green jobs were found in 300+ industries;
5. The greatest number of green jobs are in energy efficiency and energy conservation;
6. Green growth is projected in construction, professional, scientific, technical services and support, and waste management services;
7. 75% of the region's green employers offered on-the-job training (OJT) for workers;
8. 6,500 green jobs were available at the time of the mid-2010 survey and most openings did not require a degree;
9. Jobs requiring a BA degree or above accounted for 69% of green employment in DC, 23% in Maryland, and 26% in Virginia; and
10. In DC, the largest gaps (shortages of trained applicants for green jobs) are in the life, physical and social science, architecture and engineering, and business and financial operations occupations while in Maryland and Virginia, the business and financial operations and computer and mathematical occupations are more heavily impacted.

The MARC Green Works Jobs portal, the MARC Green Consortium project's web component, is available at www.marcgreenworks.com. Unlike conventional job boards, the portal provides updated green and other job postings every 24 hours to ensure the quality of postings provided. Through the use of "web spidering" for jobs based on keywords, the portal delivers postings from DC, Maryland, and Virginia's online labor exchanges as well as public and private job boards and company websites. Job seeker services include job postings, job market trends, career information, and job market exploration tools, while employer services include resume search tools. In addition, the portal provides real-time labor market data (area profile, occupation profile, industry profile, and labor market facts) to help jobseekers and employers make real-life decisions.

About the MARC Green Consortium Project

In 2009, a $4 million grant from the US Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration was awarded to the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation on behalf of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Collaborative (a consortium of workforce and education leaders from DC, Maryland and Virginia) to improve innovative labor market information activities in support of the strategic expansion of a regional green economy. The project, known as the MARC Green Consortium and administered by the Maryland Workforce Corporation, included: the MD Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, DC Department of Employment Services, Virginia Community College System, Virginia Employment Commission, ICF International, Geographic Solutions, Magnum Economic Consulting, Georgetown University Center for Education and the Workforce, College of William and Mary, and Jacob France Institute at the University of Baltimore. For information and updates, follow MARC Green Works on Twitter @marcgreenworks.

About MARC

Established in 2007, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Collaborative (MARC) is a regional coalition committed to enhancing the economic vitality of DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Led by a consortium of state workforce and education leaders from all three political jurisdictions, MARC seeks to build a globally competitive regional workforce to fuel prosperity and proactively address regional economic growth demands. Representing more than 14 million residents and 329,000 businesses and organizations with multiple employees, MARC brings a unique, tri-state perspective to its many innovative economic and workforce development initiatives. Please visit MARC on the web at www.themarcworks.com.

About MWC

The Maryland Workforce Corporation (MWC) was created under the direction of Governor Martin O'Malley and established by the Maryland General Assembly in 2009 to seek, create, fund, and manage innovative, demand-driven workforce development programs that provide Marylanders with the education and skills they need to be successful in today's job market. For updates and information, connect with MWC on the web at www.theworkforcecorp.org, on Twitter @workforcecorp, or on Facebook at The Workforce Corp.

CONTACT: Kristin Lemmert/240.920.1003

SOURCE Mid-Atlantic Regional Collaborative