Despite announcements committing millions of pounds to green jobs initiatives, the government is yet to define what a ‘green job’ is, and how it will evaluate the perceived demand. Inconsistent government policy and a knowledge-gap in necessary skills are resulting in missed opportunities, the Environmental Audit Committee warns, in its Green Jobs report.
The Net Zero Strategy set out the government’s ambitions, but no detailed, actionable delivery plan, says the EAC.
Environmental Audit Committee chairman, Rt Hon Philip Dunne MP, said: “the workforce of the future is being undermined by a lack of evidence-based government policies on how jobs will be filled in green sectors. Encouraging announcements of investment in green sectors of the economy are very welcome but the government admits that claims about green jobs lack explanation and data on how the targets will be achieved.
“Our report today sets out how these green jobs roles can be filled. Monitoring the sectors and regions where the jobs are needed, and rebooting careers advice that demystifies green jobs, is critical if we are to meet our environmental goals.”
The EAC repeated a previous recommendation that a National Nature Service be established: this can provide people with wider employment skills and help build green capacity in the longer term.
The EAC recommendations included:
• The Government should set out its definition of ‘green jobs’, and how it will measure the number, type and location of these over the 2020s, for the purpose of monitoring and evaluating the impact of its policies.
• By the end of this year the Government needs to set out a programme to encourage development of relevant skills across the construction trade, including small and medium-sized enterprises, to stimulate development of skilled trades to increase the capacity markedly.
• A just transition plan should be published by the end of this year and assess regional as well as sectoral impact.
• The Government should set out how it will adapt its Careers Strategy to align with its net zero and environmental goals, including how it will reach different groups of the population to increase awareness of green job opportunities and how to access them.
The EAC criticism made an interesting contrast with the approach taken in France for its nuclear sector. In a press conference to highlight the World Nuclear Exhibition, to be held in Paris in November, the Group des Industriels de ‘’Energie Nucleaire said it had begun two years ago to carry out a detailed skills mapping by sector, with €1.5 million in funding and in agreement with labour unions. With the detailed mapping completed, gaps could be identified – the speakers noted that trades such as scaffolders, welders and electricians were struggling to recruit. A new narrative was needed to fill these gaps. and in a second phase suitable training courses will be put in place and, crucially, a recruitment process that highlighted the need for such contractors in the green transition.
Read the full EAC report here