Setting the stage for COP26: Green Jobs

With COP26 around the corner, and in preparation for the Government’s upcoming Net Zero Carbon Strategy, several groups and task forces have been convened to draft policy that will drive meaningful change. 

One such group, the Green Jobs Task Force (GJTF), was created to analyse industry’s skills requirements to deliver low- to no-carbon installations. The group carefully considered social and geographical factors, to enable the transition of fossil-fuel-dependent communities and industries to net-zero-emissions alternatives. 

The UK’s current net-zero situation has been forensically cross-examined. The GJTF has taken stock of how our energy systems and networks can change, how our buildings can be adapted and how manufacturing can be altered to help achieve   net zero by 2050. 

There is an enormous amount to accomplish in an ever-shorter timeframe.

Some key figures  highlighted in the report  show just how urgently we need to upskill our workforce and install net-zero technologies:

• 12,000 new workers needed every year for the next 4 years to meet the demand for net-zero-competent installers
• Recruitment to ramp up by up to 30,000 workers per year between 2025-2030
• Low-carbon installer workforce needs to reach  to 230,000 by end of this decade
• By 2050, the domestic smart systems market could be worth £1.3 billion to GDP and support 10,000 jobs
• Export revenue could be worth £2.7 billion and 14,000 jobs
• The UK could produce up to 1.6 million Electric Vehicles (EV) by 2040
• Out of 182,000 vehicle technicians, 21,000 are already EV-trained and 50,000 will need retraining or upskilling by 2025

The task force also established how Government, industry, unions, academia, skills providers and others should be working together to enable a  ‘just transition’. 

It is critical that, as an industry at the front lines of the climate crisis, we get this right

The GJTF’s initial report highlighted that investment in green skills and jobs is crucial, along with improvements to the way green skills and training are delivered.

The skills gap must be urgently addressed to ensure that green jobs are open to all. High-skilled jobs account for the lion’s share of the recent increase in green employment. 

These jobs also require  higher levels of education, work experience and job training. Barriers include delayed return on investment in workers and a lag between the demand for green jobs and the supply of competent, qualified professionals able to fill them. 

We must also improve climate change and STEM education. This should be delivered as part of a well-sequenced curriculum with input from government, employers and educators alike.

There is an enormous amount to accomplish in an ever-shorter timeframe. Collaboration between  government, skills providers and industry bodies is the key to success – we need all hands on deck. It is critical that, as an industry at the front lines of the climate crisis, we get this right.