Objective 1: Evaluate Current Green Job Training Programs in Costa Rica

To characterize the current status of preparedness of future employees for green jobs based on training programs by organizations and universities, we conducted informal interviews with CICR employees and referred contacts and interviews with university professors. We gathered data on Costa Rica’s effort and progress in terms of preparing workers for green jobs and facilitating the expansion of green jobs. This was achieved through interviewing

professionals in the CICR, reviewing related information and documents provided by the CICR, and interviewing contacts in universities.

The professionals in the CICR were referred to us by Bernhardt Johst, our on-site liaison from the CICR, and they have expertise in researching Costa Rica’s efforts to generate green jobs and identifying the barriers that limit the development of green jobs. These professionals were chosen for informal interviews based on their knowledge of green jobs and training programs that currently exist in Costa Rica (see Appendix A for informal interview questions). Ultimately, our project informed the CICR of changes that should be made to improve green training programs, which made it critical that we obtain as much information as possible from CICR employees. The interviewees were also able to provide additional contacts and resources

for our study. Table 4 below lists these professionals in addition to their position and purpose of each interview.

Table 4: Names and Affiliations of Professionals Interviewed to Gain Insight into Green Job Training Programs.

Contacts Affiliation Position Purpose

José Salas CICR Human Resources To learn which sectors and

specific companies were most important to investigate. Also, to learn his definition of green jobs and small, medium and large companies.

Katja Frick CICR Consultant for the GIZ

Program ACCIÓN Clima

To learn more about the topic of green jobs and areas that could be improved in Costa Rica. To learn about her position as consultant for GIZ program for environment and energy issues in industry.

Wendy Alfaro Chaves

OIT Consultant in Sustainable

Development

To learn about her position as a consultant to the CICR and to learn which sectors she thinks will develop green jobs in the near future.

University Contact A

University A Lawyer in Environmental Issues/ Eco-consultant

To determine the current status of green job training programs that the university has designed to fulfill the influx of jobs in the green economy.

University Contact B

University B Human Resources To determine the current status of green job training programs that the university has designed to fulfill the influx of jobs in the green economy.

Additionally, from these interviews, we were referred to contacts within universities. This is a snowball sample, which is a sample chosen through a series of referrals. Bernhardt Johst

referred a number of colleagues to us and each of them referred us to a number of contacts in companies and universities which comprised our sample. Table 4 shows the name and affiliation of each person we interviewed, as well as a brief summary of the specific purpose of each interview. The university contacts were chosen based on referrals from CICR professionals and also on their knowledge of the topics of green jobs and training programs. We designed the interview questions such that they would provide data on the current status of training programs and how each university is preparing students for green jobs. We asked questions that assisted in cataloging training programs and their recent and future development. We also evaluated the link between universities and companies in regard to internships and collaboration in training

employees and students. Then we organized and prioritized the questions in order of importance. In Table 5 below, sample questions for the university interviews demonstrate the type of

questions asked of the interviewees (see Appendix B for the full set of interview questions).

Table 5: Important Sample University Interview Questions

Sample University Questions

What kind of training programs does the university offer for green jobs and skills?

How is the university responding to industry demand?

What curricula and majors does the university offer for future employment in green sectors?

In what industries do you see green jobs appearing in the next five years?

What is driving the need for green jobs?

These standardized interviews comprising in-depth qualitative questions yielded insight into the ability of university training programs to facilitate the generation of green jobs in a consistent manner (Doyle, 2004). Standardized interviews consist of questions that are the same for each interviewee. We supplemented the interview data with information from each

university’s website to gain a thorough understanding of their curricula for green job and environmental programs, strategies for tracking the employment of alumni, and anticipated development of the curriculum.

For all of the interviews conducted, we met at the CICR, set up a conference call, or sent an email containing the interview questions. While conducting these interviews, one member of the team served as primary interviewer (E.B., J.D., or T.V.P), and one as secretary (K.P.) to transcribe the proceedings. The proficiency of the participant in English determined whether the interview was held in English or Spanish. We requested permission to record the interview and notified the participants that the recording would not be published and would only be reviewed by our project team.

3.2 Objective 2: Assess Green Training Programs and Jobs in Costa Rican