What
The Sustainability Education & Economic Development (SEED) Center is a leadership initiative that provides strategic guidance and resources for community colleges to support programs that educate America’s 21st century workforce to meet the changing demands of the clean economy. (SEED Overview, pdf).
Formerly managed by the American Association of Community Colleges, it is now managed by the National Council for Workforce Education.
The SEED Center Offers
- Over 500 green curricular resources curated by industry and higher education experts
- Detailed guides, tools and promising practices for two-year college faculty, staff, and leaders who are building, implementing, or marketing sustainability offerings
- Information sharing between educators and experts
- Professional development through webinars, summits, and mentorship opportunities
- A college recognition program
Why
The clean economy presents an unprecedented opportunity to boost American prosperity. Billions of dollars stand to be captured by using energy more wisely, drawing on energy sources that never run out, and developing our world more sustainably. Public and private investment, innovative technologies, government action, and consumer behavior are all driving this new economy. As green jobs continue to grow quickly, community colleges play a critical role in preparing an educated workforce with the skill sets to fuel and meet industry demand.
While a number of community colleges have developed innovative green job training programs, many schools need additional support to extend these opportunities to the nearly 12 million community college students nationwide. The SEED Center is designed to provide the information and national coordination needed for advancing program development and implementation.
How
The SEED Center offers access to resources such as promising practices and curriculum materials in subject areas including renewable energy, agriculture, green building, general sustainability, and more.
In the SEED center Community, educators exchange information and ideas using a wiki. With a simple login, any community college faculty or staff member may use this feature.
SEED Center Strategic Plan
Community Colleges in the Emerging Green Economy: Charting a Course and Leadership Role (PDF): This plan details the case for community colleges and their role in the green economy. Included are strategic goals and objectives to help colleges achieve green jobs workforce development success in the near term.