22nd September 2026
At New York Climate Week 2026, The Clean Economy Bridge hosted a roundtable on green workforce development and transatlantic approaches for a just transition. The discussion examined how governments, employers, trade unions, educational institutions and international partners across Germany and the U.S. can prepare workers for the transition to a clean economy.
Participants focused on five connected issues:
- The role of federal and state governments in workforce development, including funding, standards and institutional capacity.
- The importance of apprenticeships, community colleges, curriculum development and practical training pathways.
- The need to address workers’ economic security, professional identity and social acceptance during industrial transition.
- The relationship between public investment, domestic manufacturing, labor standards and investment certainty.
- Opportunities for structured learning between the United States and Germany.
Key Themes
Workforce planning and state capacity
Participants identified a need for more systematic workforce planning. This includes identifying future skills needs, estimating the number and location of jobs, assessing regional workforce gaps and ensuring that state governments have the capacity to act. The discussion suggested that training should follow credible assessments of labor demand so that programs do not prepare workers for jobs that fail to materialize.
Education, apprenticeships and curriculum sharing
Community colleges, apprenticeship programs, electrical academies and worker training networks emerged as important delivery mechanisms. Participants saw value in reviewing and sharing curricula between the United States and Germany, particularly in relation to apprenticeships, community colleges and Career and Technical Educational institutions.
Engagement with trade unions
The discussion underlined the need to strengthen partnerships with labour unions in workforce planning and transition design. In the US, unions run an essential training infrastructure preparing workers for high-quality jobs in a variety of clean energy fields, including through apprenticeship programs. Unions also provide knowledge about occupational requirements, worker concerns and recruitment challenges. The German experience also suggests that stronger dialogue with unions may improve the design and credibility of transition plans.
Public investment and market signals
Participants linked workforce development to the availability and timing of project finance. Public investment can create demand for workers, establish labor standards, support domestic supply chains, and signal that projects will proceed. Investment certainty was repeatedly identified as a condition for employers to recruit and for training institutions to expand provision.
Domestic production and international interdependence
The discussion recognized a tension between maintaining domestic production and accepting that some parts of value chains will move internationally. Participants considered the risks of excessive dependence on other countries, while also acknowledging the importance of international trade and cooperation. Public procurement, loans and support for domestic companies were discussed as potential tools for sustaining production and good jobs.
Worker identity and social acceptance
The transition was discussed not only as an economic process but also as a social and cultural change. Workers may lose a sense of identity when they leave established industries. Participants therefore stressed the importance of recognizing local histories, communicating the benefits of new sectors and demonstrating that the transition can provide stable and well-paid employment.
Communication and political durability
Participants noted that election cycles can make long-term planning difficult. Public acceptance may be stronger when policies are communicated as supporting economic development, regional prosperity, and good jobs, rather than as climate measures alone. Clear public communication, credible project pipelines, and visible benefits for communities were identified as important for political durability.
Areas for further exchange
The discussion points towards several areas where structured cooperation between US and German stakeholders could add value:
- Exchange curricula and delivery models for apprenticeships, community colleges and workforce colleges between Germany and the U.S.
- Compare approaches to workforce forecasting, including methods for estimating future job numbers and regional skills needs.
- Strengthen dialogue between governments, employers, educational institutions and trade unions.
- Examine how public investment and procurement can support labor standards, domestic production, and recruitment.
- Share approaches for attracting younger workers to sectors undergoing transition.
- Develop communication approaches that connect climate action with economic development and good jobs.
- Consider how transition policies can support workers and communities when production patterns or value chains change.
