Every UK job has the potential to be green, government-backed taskforce says
Every job in the UK has the potential to be green, according to an independent report today, as long as the right investment is unlocked.
The Green Jobs Taskforce, which wrote the report and is backed by the UK government, has been set up to build the workforce needed for prime minister Boris Johnson’s ‘green industrial revolution’.
The report calls for more industry investment in green jobs and skills, alongside a “just transition for workers in high carbon sectors” like energy and construction.
Director at National Grid and member of the Green Jobs Taskforce, Rhian Kelly, said: “Getting the right people and skills in place to achieve the government’s ambitious climate goals is a huge challenge.
“This won’t happen overnight so it’s vital we move from intent to action now and that the report is acted upon with urgency.”
Although the taskforce is government-backed, the report however is not – yet, as the report wrote: “The government will not be endorsing Green Jobs Taskforce recommendations at this stage or adopting them as official policy.”
The report added that formal government response to the recommendations will come within its Net Zero Strategy, which will be published ahead of the UN’s flagship climate conference COP26.
Ten Point Plan
There are already more than 410,000 jobs in low carbon businesses in the UK and their supply chains across the country, with turnover estimated at £42.6bn in 2019.
Johnson’s Ten Point Plan, set out in November last year, has already factored in support for up to 90,000 green jobs and up to 250,000 by 2030 across sectors like offshore wind, zero-emission vehicles and construction.
UK energy and climate minister and co-chair of the Green Jobs Taskforce, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, said: “We need to invest in the UK’s most important asset – its workforce – so that our people have the right skills to deliver a green industrial revolution and thrive in the jobs it will create.”
To reach net zero by 2050, the UK needs to be more detailed in its emissions policy, according to executive director of sustainable business group Aldersgate and member of the Green Jobs Taskforce, Nick Molho, said.
“The UK needs to have a detailed policy plan for its net zero target, mainstream the teaching of climate change and green skills across all stages of the education system and provide those already in the workforce with the financial and flexible learning support they need to have access to reskilling.”