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Smart Grid and Clean Tech Industries Provide Significant Job Growth in the Next Three Years

Career development workshops in Santa Clara, CA help job seekers pursue new opportunities

Santa Clara, CA, May 11, 2010 – With the unemployment rate hovering around 10% and 15 million people seeking jobs nationwide, job seekers are looking for opportunities beyond their traditional industries. Yet many are unaware or feel unprepared to pursue the significant job opportunities looming in fast-growing clean tech and Smart Grid sectors.

The disbursement of government funding for Smart Grid projects is expected to result in the direct creation of approximately 280,000 new jobs between 2009 and 2012 according to a detailed report by KEMA (The U.S. Smart Grid Revolution KEMA’s Perspectives for Job Creation, 2009*), a global, leading authority in energy consulting, testing and certification. The Obama administration’s recent award of $100 million in Recovery Act funds for Smart Grid job creation has set off a flurry of career development initiatives across the US to put Smart Grid and clean tech retraining curricula in place.

Recognizing that many people simply do not understand how to transition into this burgeoning industry, Clasma Events, Inc. and SmartGridCareers.com are co-producing two days of career development workshops on May 26 and 27 at the Santa Clara Convention Center hosted in conjunction with ConnectivityWeek 2010, a week-long conference focused on the application of Information Communication Technology (ICT) for energy management and efficiency.

Workshop speakers will include career experts will share their perspectives on job hunting, skill development and personal branding. Clean tech and Smart Grid industry experts will present key opportunities that exist in sectors such as digital homes, building sustainability, electric vehicles, renewable energy and Smart Grid.

Attendees with diverse backgrounds including engineering finance, legal, operations, manufacturing or sales and marketing will be able to learn about opportunities that exist today and how to parlay their skills to capitalize on industry growth.

“There are hundreds of skilled, capable professionals who were downsized and are simply unaware of opportunities to apply their skills in this relatively new industry,” said Anto Budiardjo, CEO of Clasma Events and the producer of ConnectivityWeek 2010. “We created this Career Development track also to help the clean tech industry find skilled professionals.”

Key workshop topics include:

-                  How to Make the Most of Connections

-                  Opportunities in Clean Tech

-                  Transitioning into Clean Tech

-                  Leveraging Social Media for Career Success

-                  Understanding Home Area Networks

-                  Smart Grid 101

-                  Understanding Renewables

-                  Trends in Smart Building Sustainability

-                  Trends in Electric Vehicles


“Retooling our workforce needs to become a national priority in order to foster economic expansion,” said Puja Lakhlani, president, SmartGridCareers.com. ”We are pleased to partner with Clasma and ConnectivityWeek2010 to help job seekers understand the opportunities and develop the confidence to pursue jobs in this industry,” continued Lakhlani.

There is $95 fee for attending this event, which includes access to the ConnectivityWeek Plenary Sessions and exhibition floor. More information is available at http://www.connectivityweek.com/2010/#career.

* The KEMA Job Creation report can be downloaded at http://www.kema.com/services/consulting/utility-future/job-report.aspx.

About ConnectivityWeek 2010

ConnectivityWeek 2010 is a collection of events focused on the application of Information Communication Technology (ICT) for energy management and efficiency. Its unique format creates a cohesive understanding of how smart, connected devices and systems will shape our future. Keynotes and sessions are focused on implementation technologies, business development and market growth in a new energy paradigm. ConnectivityWeek 2010 will take place May 24-27 in Silicon Valley and is sponsored by Cisco, Elster, Itron, Aclara, Bridge Energy Group, ClimateTalk Alliance, Ember, EnerNex Corporation, HomePlug Powerline Alliance, OSIsoft, Sensus M.I., Southern California Edison, Trilliant,

Wi-Fi Alliance, Z-Wave Alliance, Akuacom, Convergence Wireless, Echelon, EnerNOC, Subnet Solutions and Tantalus. Learn more at http://www.connectivityweek.com/2010/ and on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. ConnectivityWeek is produced by Clasma Events, Inc., a global company specializing in strategic conferences at the center of the worldwide energy discussion. Clasma’s major events include ConnectivityWeek, GridWeek and Grid-Interop.

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