Green jobs are on the rise now and the trend is just getting started. According to Berkeley Palmer of Overland Park Kansas Green Jobs have the potential of trending up at a faster pace than any other job sector.

Berkeley Palmer says that virtually every current major industry has potential for creating new jobs within their own communities that never existed before. Construction, transportation, manufacturing, mining, agriculture, the emerging alternative fuels industries and many other industry sectors will be seeking professionals with a set of "Green Skills." Everything from reducing pollution and creating more environmentally friendly business practices to emerging state and federal compliance of existing and soon to be created laws will help to create many new professional career options for those who get the right training and/or education now.

Berkeley Palmer says that the term "Green Skills" is widely used, but not well defined just yet. In a recent article from the Australian News: Pierre Malou, manager, environment and sustainability at Drake Executive (an Australian firm), says green skills — or green collar — careers in laymen's terms are "the skills that help businesses fund, plan and manage everything to do with helping the company meet corporate or social responsibility around climate change". So far that seems to be the best general description of what green skills are.

Berkeley Palmer research shows that green skills training is currently on the rise via special industry specific programs, such as the training provided by the Green Builders Council of DC, a coalition of builders and developers who are unveiling the nation's first green collar job training curriculum for the Washington D.C area construction industry.

According to the spokesperson for Berkeley Palmer, those who are seeking to expand their skills base should stay within their current industry and get the industry specific training and education for the green skills they will need. When asked why not go to new industries the Berkeley Palmer spokesperson said, "When a job seeker is looking to make a career change they sometimes face an uphill battle. Attempting to change both function and industry at the same time creates an added degree of difficulty. The best way to make a change in both areas, it would be best to do that in a two or three step process, rather than attempt one big (and overwhelming) step."