Green Job Searching

Green jobs grow in Northern Colorado, but outlook mixed for Larimer County

January 23, 2011 - Eunju Kang, a student at Front Range Community College studying clean energy technology, is beginning her job search in Larimer County.

With two resumes filed at prospective employers in the Fort Collins area so far, she said she and her husband, David Baughman, want to stay in the area.

She's holding out hope she will score the perfect job to be able to remain in Fort Collins, but her optimism isn't as strong as it was several years ago.

"I think there's a 75 percent chance she's going to nail a job by the time she's out of school," Baughman said. “It’s not 100 percent like it used to be.”

Though the threat of outsourcing some jobs may loom on the horizon, Larimer County is a hub for the renewable and clean energy industries, and the sector’s job growth throughout all of Northern Colorado is blossoming.

Colorado State University’s Clean Energy Cluster, which includes more than 30 companies in Larimer and Weld counties, boasted a 31 percent increase in employment — 703 new jobs — between 2006 and 2009, said CSU associate economics professor Martin Shields. {continued}