DENVER -- Hundreds of people packed into a green job fair in south east Denver on Saturday, hoping to be picked to fill about 100 job openings.

“I’ve been looking for about three months,” said Mike Mccarty. He was laid off in May.

He’s one of more than 100,000 people currently getting unemployment benefits from the state.

“It might help me until the spring, but I’m really hoping to find something before that. You know, bills pile up,” he said.

Now, Mike is banking on a green job to help him get out of his economic slump.

“Colorado is poised because of the natural resources, the combination of wind, water, a lot of sun,” he said.

David Griffin, with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment agrees. He said if you’re looking for a job, green is the way to go.

“There’s a lot of projects on the drawing board, they just need to play out and be built,” said Griffin.

Griffin said more renewable energy companies are moving to Colorado right now. Standard Renewable Energy is one of them.

Company spokesperson Sam Ley said his company currently has 10 job openings here in Colorado, 15 to 20 across the country.

“Our company has been growing by 20 percent per month since mid 2007,” Ley said. “Every month, we have more calls for more people. We need more sales people to get into homes, more operations staff to build the solar, install insulation, everything.”

Yet, the industry is very competitive. Energy experts say if you want a green job, get educated. The state is trying to help people do that, by offering free courses and training at “Workforce” centers across Colorado.

“Take advantage of some of the training programs that are out there. Upgrade your skills that green or new energy employers will look at,” said Griffin, “Get to know the staff, because they do have resources. They do have connections with companies and that may be an advantage.”

Mike Mccarty said he’s been going to the Adams County Workforce Center, taking classes with about 200 to 300 other people.

After Saturday’s job fair, Mccarty said he had a couple of leads. He’s optimistic he’ll land a job soon.