Government to set out green skills strategy

16/10/2011

The Coalition Government is shortly expected to set out its strategy for addressing the UK’s growing green skills needs.

The Coalition Government is shortly expected to set out its strategy for addressing the UK’s growing green skills needs.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) plans to publish its 'Skills for a Green Economy’ report this month, possibly as early as next week, GreenWise has learnt. The report is the result of a six-month collaboration between BIS, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). It is expected to set out how the Government will support the growing green skills needs of employers, while sticking to a 'demand-led’ skills system.

Growing skills shortage

The Skills for A Green Economy report will be the first time the Coalition Government spells out its strategy on green skills. According to the Government over a million people will be employed in the low carbon goods and services sector by 2015, but the emerging green economy is facing a growing skills shortage.

The wind, wave and tidal sectors, for example, are set to create more than 88,000 jobs over the next decade, according to a recent report by Renewable UK and Energy & Utility Skills. Yet, the same report says these new sectors are currently being failed by the UK skills system.

Professional body the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, meanwhile, has highlighted an urgent shortage in ecologist and environmental managers with skills necessary to meet the challenges presented by climate change, sustainable development and biodiversity loss.

Criticised for lack of progress

The Government has been working with a number of industries, including the construction and renewables sectors, to devise new policies and actions on green skills. Among the measures it has already announced are a new grouping of sector skills councils to "help business understand changing skills requirements" of a green economy. However, it has been criticised for a lack of progress on the green skills agenda by green lobby group the Aldersgate Group.

greenwisebusiness.co.uk

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