Powering Climate & Infrastructure Careers: Three Lessons for a Data-First Approach to Building a Green Workforce in Arizona
In Arizona, the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) serves as the state’s central authority for labor market information, providing the data and analysis that inform critical workforce and economic development decisions. As Arizona’s economy continues to grow and diversify, the state has a unique opportunity to shape its future workforce by aligning data, policy, and investment around the green economy.
One of the biggest challenges in building a green economy is the lack of a standardized definition for “green jobs.” Without clear parameters and a shared understanding of green jobs, it becomes difficult to identify in-demand skills or build programs to meet the state’s future workforce needs. OEO leverages data as a powerful tool to bridge this gap and seeks to translate analytical insights into actionable strategies that would reach and align the broader workforce ecosystem in Arizona.
Through its participation in the Powering Climate and Infrastructure Careers (PCIC) Challenge, OEO adopted a data-driven approach to understand its rapidly emerging green sector. OEO’s primary goal, with Third Sector’s technical assistance, was to develop a replicable, evidence-based model to define green jobs, assess climate and infrastructure career opportunities, and map key stakeholders to leverage these findings and to build data-driven strategies to influence the green economy.
Third Sector partnered with OEO to navigate the complex challenge of translating labor market data into actionable workforce development strategies. Our technical assistance supported OEO in their endeavors to develop a rigorous, evidence-based definition of green jobs and plan for stakeholder engagement.
- Evidence-Based Definition: OEO, with support from Third Sector’s technical assistance, focused on developing its model to move beyond vague definitions and identify specific occupations, skills, and industries driving the green transition. This data-first foundation established a clear, objective starting point for all subsequent policy and investment discussions.
- Strategic Stakeholder Engagement: We advised OEO as they developed a stakeholder engagement plan to leverage data and drive strategic workforce planning. OEO intends to engage partners across the workforce ecosystem, including state agencies, workforce boards, education partners, and employers, around the shared goal of preparing workers for high-quality green careers. By engaging these stakeholders early, OEO is creating pathways for its analysis to influence real outcomes, from program design to resource allocation.
OEO’s experience in the PCIC initiative highlights essential lessons for other state and local agencies committed to building resilient, data-informed workforce systems:
- Lead with Quantitative Data to Drive Strategies: Tackling emerging sectors like the green economy is inherently difficult when standard definitions are absent. Without standardized terminology, states often face challenges in establishing the foundational policy reforms necessary to guide investment and buy-in. States should invest in rigorous Labor Market Information (LMI) to hone in on specific sectors that more clearly define “green jobs” and the skills workers need to spark strategic planning and policy discussions. By developing a transparent and credible analytic data model, as OEO did, agencies establish shared definitions and an objective foundation for subsequent decisions. This rigorous approach to data serves as the cornerstone for decisionmaking, allowing leaders to confidently direct resources towards programs that target verified skill gaps rather than hypothetical needs. This can result in systemic policy reform and programming that drives progress regardless of political shifts, ensuring that workforce investments are targeted and sustainable over time.
- Build Intentional Partnerships to Turn Analysis into Action: Data analysis alone is insufficient to drive systemic change. Successful implementation requires intentional stakeholder engagement to cultivate strong partnerships that transform interest into commitment. State agencies should design an intentional, comprehensive strategy around stakeholder engagement that dictates who should engage with the data, how they will engage (e.g., in advisory coalitions, feedback sessions), and what specific, measurable outcomes are expected from their participation.OEO is utilizing this approach to engage leaders in using data to inform policies and programs that proactively address labor market shifts and build Arizona’s future workforce. This collaboration, which connects state agencies, workforce boards, education institutions, and employers, translates analytical insights into a sustainable talent pipeline, ensuring that training programs are directly aligned with identified labor market demands.
- Target High-Impact Policy Instruments for Sustainable Change: State agencies often have excellent analysis but fail to leverage the most powerful systemic instruments necessary for implementation. OEO seeks to leverage its analysis in high-impact policy levers, such as the WIOA State Plan. By directly tying data insights to policy, agencies can institutionalize change, ensuring that data-informed definitions of green jobs are woven into state-funded programs. The result is that the data analysis is transformed from a static report into an active policy tool, ensuring that workforce resources are allocated efficiently and equitably for years to come.
Arizona OEO’s work demonstrates how a data-first approach can demystify a complex sector and lay a credible foundation for systemic policy change. By investing in LMI and aligning with key partners, Arizona is building a resilient green workforce ready to meet the demands of its growing economy.
To learn more, contact Jess Praphath, Managing Director, Workforce Pathways, at jpraphath@thirdsectorcap.org
