With the UK shortly hosting the much-anticipated COP26 summit , Government launched its Net Zero Strategy last week As a cross-Government strategy, the plan spans a wide range of activity, from improving cycling infrastructure to adopting new clean energy sources, such as hydrogen, at scale.

Work Foundation research has highlighted that this transition will require rapid changes in jobs and the skills needed among workers in the sector. With a new target of 444,000 jobs to be created by 2030, as set out in the strategy, a step-change is needed in the skills system so that it will be able to meet increased demand from low carbon businesses.

Our research found a pressing need for the skills system to respond to the needs of low carbon businesses in Lancashire, and highlighted the importance of sector bodies in gathering intelligence on businesses’ skills needs to shape training provision.

Last week, we brought together a fantastic panel of speakers from Green Alliance, the Lancashire Skills Hub, Lancaster University’s Centre for Eco Innovation and Westinghouse Nuclear, for a discussion about the skills needed for net zero. There was a broad consensus that there is a need to invest in targeted advice and training for workers whose roles are likely to be most affected through home retrofitting and the shift to electric vehicles, for example.

It is, therefore, welcome that the strategy includes a strong focus on the development of critical skills in the workforce. Government will require that “skills required for jobs that support action on climate change and other environmental goals” form a part of new Local Skills Improvement Plans. Currently in a pilot phase in a small number of regions, these plans are developed by employers and training providers to ensure that provision is responsive to employer needs. The strategy also includes proposals for skills provision, including T-levels, apprenticeships and Skills Bootcamps to better align with green employers. Further more detailed plans will be needed to understand how this alignment will be delivered in a way that balances priorities for learners, colleges and employers.

Additionally, our research found that low carbon businesses are struggling to attract young people in to the skilled trade roles that are so vital to firms in the construction and manufacturing sectors. Indeed, the Net Zero Strategy recognises that 230,000 skilled tradespeople will be needed by 2030 in order to deliver the planned retrofitting of housing alone.

These opportunities can be unappealing to school and college leavers. As outlined in our report, it is important that green jobs, offer secure terms, with clear pathways for career development.

There is also an important role for DWP to play in ensuring that employment support providers can promote green job opportunities to young people. The strategy sets out a commitment to ensure that people from all backgrounds can access opportunities in the green economy, including through the provision of careers advice. But our previous research found that many low paid workers who would benefit from access to additional training face barriers in developing new skills, ranging from childcare and travel costs to stigma surrounding lower levels of literacy and numeracy. Wider measures will be needed to address these barriers to ensure equal access to opportunities created through the transition.

We will need to see further detail on how the integrated careers information, advice and guidance offer will be specifically coordinated for opportunities in the green economy. There must be a concerted effort across colleges, careers advice services and other partners, to galvanize interest among young people in a range of emergent green jobs – not only high-tech opportunities that require an education in STEM subjects.

Indeed, the strategy states that “removing dirty fossil fuels will require the transformation of every sector of the global economy”. This was another core focus of the discussion at last week’s event many workers who may not consider their role or organisation as ‘green’, but ultimately will stand to play a key role in facilitating the transition to net zero.

Whether it be healthcare roles in the NHS, teachers, architects, workers and businesses will need to find ways to adopt to new practices and processes, to contribute to broad decarbonisation efforts. It is clear that across the economy, delivering targeted training and embedding a values-led approach will be critical in order to meet the net-zero aspiration.

This week’s spending review will offer an of the extent of Government’s commitment to building a high-skilled economy, and the workforce needed to reach the net zero 2050 target. Investment in the National Skills Fund since 2020 amounts to the reversal of one third of the cuts to adult education spending seen since 2010.

And while there have been murmurings of some additional investment to come through tomorrow’s budget, an overhaul in funding will be needed to meet the scale of the net zero ambition.

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