It has been claimed by the Climate Change Committee (CCC) that the net-zero energy transition in the UK can deliver net-growth for jobs in key sectors. However, it also been claimed that the Government’s current ‘hands off’ approach risks stifling economic opportunities and clean technology market growth. So a big strategic issue is emerging.
So far around 250,000 jobs have been created in the transition, but there are fears that the Government remains off-track to deliver its flagship goal of creating two million green jobs by 2030. Crucially, the CCC notes that the net-zero transition could offer new green employment opportunities to current economically deprived areas, although it says the majority of the UK will see ‘no major impacts’ from the net-zero transition, with only 20% of the current workforce operating in sectors that have a ‘core role’ on the delivery of net-zero.
However, that still means a lot of changes. The CCC calculates that the net-zero transition can deliver between 135,000 and 725,000 net new jobs in low-carbon sectors such as buildings retrofit, renewable energy generation and electric vehicles. That includes likely job losses as companies move away from fossil fuel use: the CCC says that upskilling and retraining can deliver a net gain in employment.
A current urgent issue is the need for trained heat pump installers. There is a big shortage and a bright future ahead. The government is investing in training schemes, but it is arguably on too small a scale. A contributor to a recent Westminster Employment Forum on green skill & jobs said we may need around 50,000, qualified heat pumps installers by 2050, up from about 5000 now. That seems to be the message across the board – there is not enough energy transition training overall .
In a recent City and Guilds/ Engineering UK workforce survey of 1,000 energy professionals, half from high-carbon industries and half from the low-carbon sector, only 42% of respondents reckoned government was providing enough support to workers. Of those working in industries like oil and gas, 60% thought the move to decarbonise the power system will put their jobs at risk within the next two years alone (by 2025). Just one-third of the total respondents believed they have the skills needed to adapt to any future changes in the energy industry, while 26% said they didn’t know how to access training that will allow them to adapt their existing skillsets.
Dr Hilary Leevers, chief executive of EngineeringUK, said : ‘The numbers in vocational training and studying at university are insufficient to meet demand. So, in addition to reskilling and retraining those already in work, it’s imperative there’s a sustained and growing investment in training and education, including apprenticeships, T levels and academic routes. It's vital to invest in bringing a more diverse range of new entrants into engineering and technology, giving more young people from a wider range of backgrounds the chance to pursue a rewarding career and bring their different perspectives to the fore’.
Clearly there is a big gap in training provisions at all levels. As was noted at the Westminster Employment Forum, the government is investing about £3.8 bn in education & skills overall. In terms of green skills it’s running a green jobs delivery group seeking to ‘pivot’ existing initiatives on the skill side to support net zero. There are a variety of schemes, for instance, short upgrading skills boot camps, and longer term apprenticeships. But we need a lot more!
A lot of what is needed will involve local technical colleges, offering a range of vocational qualifications, including City and Guild courses in engineering and craft skills. But Universities can also help. In addition to its long-running open access distance learning undergrad technology course module on renewable energy, the Open University is trying to green up its skill base offerings, with green skills being defined quite widely. Indeed in a recent issue of Climate Perspectives, OU Prof. Stephen Peake and Dr Victoria Hand say that, in addition to the skills needed for ‘resource efficiency and climate resistant redesign of machines, cites and infrastructure’, green skills can also involve having ‘the knowledge, abilities, values and attitudes needed to live in, develop and support a sustainable and resource efficient society’. So that’s more than just engineering know-how: it may also involve, amongst other things ‘ecological literacy and nature centric design, systems rethinking and redesign for integrated services, circular and closed loop resource cycling.’
However, more specialist education, as well as broad SME courses, will nevertheless also be important. There are already some good ones. For example, in addition to the renewable energy B.Eng degree at UEC Falmouth, there are also many post graduate courses around the UK in renewable energy, including a distance teaching version of Loughbrough’s pioneering CREST MSc and Cranfield's MSc and Southampton's MEng. Lots of others too- these are just ones I’ve taught on in the recent past!
Note that I’ve not included nuclear skills in any of the above. That’s partly since there are only a few specifically nuclear skills, and they are actually in short supply - most of the workforce involved with nuclear projects have more general skills that can be used for any area of energy engineering. But it’s also since I feel that it is a waste of talent and skill for them to be engaged on nuclear work: investing in new nuclear plants, large or small, is a costly diversion. These people’s skills can arguably be more productively by used elsewhere, on renewables and energy system upgrade work. There is certainly plenty to do there and also elsewhere in the green economy.
Indeed, we may need a lot of people employed to cope with the climate issues outside of just energy related jobs. Peake and Hands at the OU say that, given climate risk multipliers from extreme impacts such as heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and flooding, ‘every job has the potential to be a green job’, for example in disaster management, prevention, risk reduction, mitigation, nature restoration, as well as community resilience and vulnerable community care. And as the global economy shifts, that will also have impacts on all sectors, most obviously farming, but also transport. A new greener world could emerge.
However, there’s a long way to go. In a survey by the UK Institution of Engineering and Technology in 2020, 88% of engineering employers with a sustainability strategy said their business needs new skills to deliver, while 48% of engineering employers reported that ‘applicants lacking the necessary technical skills is a difficulty they face when recruiting’, with 68% going onto say it’s ‘specialist skills/knowledge needed for the role that’s most lacking’. So there is a lot to do, even in this relatively narrow area. Or, to put it more positively, with the wider areas also included, there is plenty of room for the growth of green employment.
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