As the climate crisis escalates, many communities are mobilizing to advance clean energy, become more resilient, and transform their economies. In California, a large part of this entails supporting and training a workforce for high-quality green jobs and improving support for workers through the state’s Jobs First Regional Investment Initiative.

The Sierra San Joaquin region (Fresno, Kings, Madera, and Tulare Counties) is central to creating this future. But today, fewer than half the jobs there pay enough to afford a two-bedroom rental.

In response, community leaders have developed a regional investment plan through the Sierra San Joaquin Jobs (S2J2) initiative. Here are five strategies they’re implementing to encourage better job quality, strengthen career pathways, and increase equitable access to quality jobs. As other regions are charged with similar climate goals, they can consider a similar approach to improve their workforce’s well-being.

1. Expand procurement opportunities to grow good jobs and local small businesses.

   The public sector is a big player in the region; it employs the largest share of local workers and leverages federal, state, and local funding streams—not only for the kinds of climate-forward investments included in the plan but also for schools, military bases, public health entities, and all local government services and infrastructure.

   Government procurement tends to heavily favor large, high-capacity firms that may already provide higher-quality jobs than most other firms. Making procurement opportunities more accessible to small and midsize businesses—particularly those owned by women and people of color—could empower many firms to pay higher wages, provide benefits that might not otherwise be able to afford. 
   
   When coupled with policies that establish and enforce good jobs standards, this could grow the supply of local high-road employers in a way that investing only in traditional large firms does not. It also complements the region’s strategies to support small business development.

2. Strengthen short-term credential pathways that lead to high-quality jobs.

   Community leaders in the Sierra San Joaquin are prioritizing employer and education partnerships to strengthen career pathways. When developing skills-building programs, it is essential to focus on pathways to high-quality jobs—that is, those that increase access for underserved communities, programs developed with job quality as a priority, programs with connections to trusted education and training providers, programs that offer paid on-the-job training, and trainings to prepare workers for new roles in climate infrastructure.

   Apprenticeship programs are particularly strong job training programs: apprenticeship can help increase earnings for workers and can lead to long-term employment (PDF). Short-term clean energy credentials may also lead to positive credential attainment and short-term earnings outcomes (PDF), though the evidence is mixed.

   S2J2 is taking a data-driven approach (PDF), establishing continuous monitoring and evaluation systems to track progress and make adjustments as needed, which will also help ensure job training programs and local demand are well-aligned.

3. Ensure equitable access to technical jobs that require four-year degrees.

   Women and people of color face substantial barriers to high-quality clean energy jobs (PDF). Most of these jobs are concentrated in engineering and architecture, where women and people of color are underrepresented. Additionally, these jobs require a four-year degree, but less than a quarter of Fresno’s population has a bachelor’s degree (compared with 34 percent nationwide).

   Policymakers can invest in career pathways that lead to a technical four-year degree, with a particular emphasis on recruiting women and people of color—not only to prepare workers for jobs in energy efficiency but also to increase representation in the STEM field and among STEM degree holders. They can also strengthen university and employer partnerships and build out mentoring programs for students of color.

4. Encourage skills-based requirements for well-paying management jobs.

   Many of the jobs in the Sierra San Joaquin that do pay housing wages are concentrated in management occupations. Research shows that these occupations also make up a large portion of high-quality clean energy jobs. However, these jobs aren’t accessible to everyone: they often require a four-year degree and residents in disinvested areas of the region are less likely to have one. 
   
   Unlike highly technical engineering or scientific occupations, management jobs may require this level of education more because of degree inflation (adding degree requirements to jobs that previously did not have one) than a need for specific academic or technical knowledge or skill. Local policy leaders can work with employers to reconsider these requirements and encourage skills-based hiring and on-the-job training programs to improve access to these higher-quality jobs.

5. Fill the gaps for workers in low-paying jobs.

   Despite the many new opportunities on the horizon, many of the forecasted new jobs in the Sierra San Joaquin—such as health care support, personal care and services, food preparation and serving, and transportation and material moving—will still not reliably provide a living wage. Local leaders in Fresno have stepped in to provide basic needs support in the form of a guaranteed income program, which has been shown to help recipients with housing and food security. State policymakers, funders, and other community-based organizations can invest in these programs and take steps to improve working conditions and wages in these sectors and experiment with other ways to provide a stronger safety net.