Increasing the green job workforce has been a hot topic and top priority over the past decade. A recent LinkedIn study revealed a stark challenge: roughly half of the jobs projected for the 2050 green economy would lack qualified candidates if strategic and expansive upskilling efforts were not undertaken now. Fortunately, the Electric Black Futures Albany Community Liaison, SOWEGA Rising, is addressing this challenge head-on.
SOWEGA Rising SMART Growth Program
One of the innovative ways SOWEGA Rising created opportunities for young people was through the SMART Growth Program, developed in collaboration with the Albany Boys and Girls Club. This week-long series was designed to expose high school students from the Dougherty County School System to green jobs while equipping them with knowledge about environmental resilience, sustainability, and leadership. Each day was built on the last, blending interactive workshops, creative projects, and hands-on field excursions to keep students engaged and inspired.
Activities ranged from mapping local environmental issues, such as heat islands and flood zones, to envisioning what a sustainable future for Albany might look like. Students built model clean-energy homes, practiced nature journaling, and reflected on the importance of their local environment. SACE participated during the program’s field trip day, leading a session on the importance of green careers and introducing students to e-mobility. The discussion included practical ways they could get involved in their own community to make Albany a better place. The full-day field trip took students to places like the Phoebe Innovation Lab, the Flint Riverkeeper office for water quality testing and equity discussions, the Flint RiverQuarium, and Chehaw Park for eco tours, animal presentations, and biodiversity art. Along the way, they heard from professionals already working in green jobs, which helped make the concept tangible and inspiring.
SOWEGA Rising and Electric Black Futures
Community liaisons play a pivotal role in fostering engagement, building relationships, and facilitating communication between the Electric Black Futures project and the communities we serve.
Electric Black Futures liaisons work alongside local partners to track progress, address challenges, and identify opportunities across communities. They co-lead Local Advisory Board meetings, strengthen relationships with community leaders and organizations, and serve as a bridge to ensure the project’s goals are understood. Their role also includes supporting research by promoting surveys, helping to organize focus groups, and assisting with participant recruitment. In addition, liaisons share project updates with the community, respond to feedback, and help shape effective engagement strategies.
Agri Tech Expo
Earlier in the year, SOWEGA Rising also partnered with Albany State University, the Vicks Estate Farm and Fishery, and the Consulate of the Netherlands to host the first-ever Agri-Tech and AI Innovation Expo. This free event brought together educators, industry leaders, and entrepreneurs to connect and collaborate on workforce development in agriculture and manufacturing. Breakout sessions featured global experts discussing agri-tech, automation, and the future of farming. Networking opportunities allowed participants to build valuable connections with farmers, educators, and business leaders.
While Albany is a rural micropolitan community, there has been a noticeable lack of local representation in agriculture — a gap that events like this aim to fill. SACE participated in the Expo, engaging with a wide range of attendees, including Albany State University students, to discuss the importance of e-mobility in addressing Albany’s mobility challenges. From the absence of comprehensive public transportation and limited bus routes to the lack of access to electric vehicles, transportation is a major issue in the region. Participants were intrigued by the idea that they could help shape their own e-mobility future and even become leaders in that movement.
A Personal Connection
Growing up in Southwest Georgia, I struggled to find representation in green and environmental careers. From a young age, I was fascinated by the natural world and eager to learn all I could about it. I was fortunate that my family could afford to send me to nature and environmental camps, but those opportunities were rare in my community. Seeing the work SOWEGA Rising is doing today fills me with pride, knowing that local youth now have access to experiences that can spark lifelong passions.
My younger self could only have dreamed of someone introducing me to electric vehicles, educational advocacy, and environmental stewardship at an early age. I had to seek out those lessons on my own, leaving my hometown to attend a large research university before eventually finding my place in this field. Many kids from my community never had that chance. That is why I feel such a deep connection to SOWEGA Rising’s mission and why partnering with them is so meaningful to me.
From agriculture and environmental monitoring to clean energy, green jobs are not just a trend — they are essential roles that will remain critical regardless of broader economic or political changes. In Georgia, nearly $30 billion has already been invested in electric vehicle and battery manufacturing, creating high-paying jobs that must be filled. While there is always some risk to these jobs from shifting political priorities, the scale of the investment and the bipartisan support for workforce development make them resilient.
One of the most effective ways to ensure a strong green workforce is to start early, which is exactly what SOWEGA Rising prioritizes. In underfunded school systems like in Albany, graduates often leave for larger cities like Atlanta in search of opportunity and rarely return. By showing young people that green jobs exist right here in Southwest Georgia, SOWEGA Rising is planting seeds for a future workforce that understands both the unique environmental challenges the region faces and the opportunities available to address them. This work is not just about filling jobs — it is about creating a generation of leaders who can carry Albany into a cleaner, more sustainable future.
Electric Black Futures
Electric Black Futures is a three-year project in Albany, Savannah, and Atlanta. The goal is to create future-focused e-mobility plans that open doors to green jobs and economic growth. Our objective is to strategize and document accessible and innovative transportation systems in these dynamic geographies and better connect clean energy policy and incentives to community leaders eager to lead technological developments.
