GO Training Team (GO TT) is a paid, intensive job training and placement program designed to prepare low-income, unemployed young adults (ages 16-24) for living wage, green collar jobs. GO Youth’s “pre-apprenticeship” curriculum combines vocational skills training, community service projects, life skills training, academic support and on-the-job training in order to improve clients' overall job-readiness and ability to be economically self-sufficient. Case managers help clients establish goals and overcome barriers to employment by linking clients to existing community support services. In addition, clients who lack GED's prior to the start of the program receive regular tutoring until they earn their degree.

GO Weatherization Apprenticeship Training Team (GO WATT) is a paid apprenticeship program designed to further prepare GO Youth Team graduates for clean energy careers while improving the efficiency of houses in target Asheville neighborhoods. A partnership with Community Action Opportunities, the program provides free energy audits and weatherization services to qualified homeowners while providing on-the-job training for previously unemployed young adults.

Pathways to Green Jobs is a partnership with the Asheville-Buncombe Community Christian Ministry. Pathways to Green Jobs is designed to train and place eligible Asheville adults (18+) in green collar jobs—jobs that improve environmental and community health. Participants receive life skills training, nationally recognized technical certifications, case management and job placement services at no cost.

Hood Huggers, International is an afterschool program designed to introduce at-risk elementary, middle and high school students from low-income neighborhoods to green collar careers through service-learning projects that improve local communities. The program is designed to build the life skills and self-esteem of participating youth while offering them hands-on pre-employment skills training.

The GO Energy Team provides private sector clients with a wide range of energy efficiency and building performance services. Most recently, the GO Energy Team secured a contract through the Asheville Housing Authority to recruit, train and place 18 public housing residents in jobs weatherizing public housing units.

The GO Labor Crew is a new service aimed at providing local contractors with dependable, short-term labor. GO labor crews are equipped to work on a wide variety of jobs, including construction, agriculture, landscaping, weatherization, solar installation, waste management and general labor.

1) Place-based, on-the-job training projects that offer clients a sense of accomplishment, provide relevant job knowledge and technical skills, and facilitate clients accessing jobs in their own communities. These projects are also designed to have a tangible impact on the neighborhoods’ environmental conditions, safety, and on the awareness and health of its residents.

2) Bundled services to program clients, integrating technical and life skills training, entrepreneurial training, case management—to assess individual clients' goals and barriers and link clients to appropriate community support services—and academic support to assist clients in achieving a high school diploma or GED.

3) Financial support in the form of stipends or temporary employment wages to provide a way out of financial crisis so that clients can focus throughout the training and placement period.

4) Close collaboration with neighborhood associations, community leaders and other active community members in our target neighborhoods to build trust and develop a sense of ownership. Working closely with like-minded green businesses creates employment opportunities for program graduates.

5) Focus on green collar careers where job opportunities are on the rise due to federal, state and local initiatives designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create more sustainable, “livable” communities. Green collar jobs improve environmental quality and community health and they tend to pay a living wage. Examples of green collar jobs that our clients have accessed through the program include weatherization technician or supervisor, solar panel installer, electrician, urban agriculturalist and green construction worker.

Economy:   GO offers clients the skills and experience necessary to secure meaningful, long-term employment that pays a living wage. It also supports the local green economy by training workers for high-demand industries, promoting partner organizations and businesses wherever possible, and educating the community about green lifestyles and behaviors, thereby driving the demand for green goods and services.

Social Justice:  GO specifically targets youth and adults living in low wealth/high crime communities and communities of color. The program seeks to break the cycle of poverty in these communities by providing ongoing support and access to quality opportunities, and by connecting members with existing community services.

Environment:  The environment benefits from the service projects GO members implement throughout the program, beginning in their own neighborhoods. Sustainable agriculture projects provide greater access to food that is healthier for the consumer and the planet. Clean energy and energy efficiency projects improve indoor and outdoor air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Ecological restoration projects enhance wildlife habitat and ecosystem services, such as water quality and carbon sequestration. These projects give our members and their communities a greater awareness about environmental issues and a stronger commitment to adopting more environmentally responsible lifestyles and behaviors.