What Digital Skills Are Needed for the Green Economy?
Preliminary research described in the April blog post Digital Skills in the Green Economy highlighted the increase of digital skills needed in the workforce in the context of the Green Economy. A lack of digital skill education opportunities and disparities of access along race, gender, and class lines were highlighted. To identify where digital skills education was missing and assess access to this education, The Nathalie P. Voorhees Center for Neighborhood and Community Improvement, created the Digital Skills in the Green Economy in the Chicago Region report. This report takes a closer look at the digital education infrastructure offered by the Chicago region, gaps in employment, educational programs, and access to education.
The report identifies the top 20 technology skills groups needed for Green Economy occupations, then lists the top one-to-three most relevant software programs in each group. Educational programs available in the Chicago region are then listed for each software.
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We found that 31 software programs did not have any educational programs available, or the educational programs were over $500 dollars. Programs that cost over $500 were considered a digital skill education gap because high-cost programs are not accessible for many individuals. Eleven (11) of these programs were highlighted as major gaps. This means a high volume (over 50) of occupations listed the software as a needed skill. The 11 major gaps are:
- ESRI ArcGIS software
- Microsoft Visio
- Structured query language SQL
- Database software
- Python
- Linux
- Microsoft Visual Basic
- SAS statistical software
- Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop
- Computer aided design CAD software
- Oracle Java
This identification of major gaps highlights the mismatch between what Green Economy digital skills are needed and what educational opportunities are available for these skills in the Chicago region.
How to Use this Report Heading link
The resources found for existing programs are included in the report. The list of resources can be utilized by job seekers to improve or learn new digital skills through programs in the region.
This report can also be utilized by organizations looking to create workforce development programs. Among other things, the report documents apprenticeships and bootcamp style instruction, what areas of the region are in need of workforce development training, and where funding for such programs may be accessed. This report will serve as a tool to a multitude of Green Economy stakeholders (policy makers, employers, jobseekers and employment agencies, investors, educational and training resources, etc.) to facilitate employment and digital skill workforce improvement across the Chicago region.
Read the Report
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This report was created as part of a larger project on the development of the green economy from our work as an Economic Development Administration (EDA) University Center. Learn more about a related work on Green Economy Occupational One-Pagers.