The Importance of Energy Education
Meet the Moment
The new national Energy and Natural Resources Career Cluster was adopted in the fall of 2024, opening a door of opportunity to connect learners, especially those in the Career and Technical Education system, with access to information on the energy industry and its associated career paths. This is a watershed opportunity to support the development of our talent pipeline.
While the adoption of the new cluster is exciting, industry stakeholders are encouraged to partner with educators in their community to help bring curriculum related to Energy and Natural Resources into classrooms as the integration won’t happen without action and engagement.
Here’s how energy employers can engage:
- Talk with educators in your community, especially those in the Career and Technical Education system and those at the district and state levels who influence curriculum adoption. Encourage them to bring new curriculum into the schools as guided by the new Energy and Natural Resources Career Cluster. (CEWD members: See draft communication on our Members Only site.)
- Introduce those who focus on high school learners to CEWD’s new competencies and framework related to the new cluster. Watch for similar framework for post-secondary and K-8 instructors coming later this year.
- Introduce educators to the Energy Industry Fundamentals curriculum, now available in Spanish. This dynamic, free resource is designed to connect learners with energy and its associated career paths.
Here’s why industry engagement with educators is essential:
- 61% of Gen Z workers say they want to get a green job within the next five years. Fewer than 20% say that they see a clear path to getting those jobs.
- > than 1 in 5 Gen Z has a very good awareness of the different (clean energy) career paths to break into.
- By 2030 only one in 10 Gen Z workers will have sufficient green skills. Gen Z is expected to make up a third of the workforce by 2030.
- 78% for Gen Z believe that if they were offered training, they would be able to learn new or improved green skills that will allow them to perform a green job.
- 90% of GED learners were interested in “green careers” though fewer than 5% understood available options.