1. New Skills for Green Jobs: UK country findings
Jo Pye & Chris Evans
Marchmont Observatory & Partners
College of Social Sciences & International Studies
University of Exeter

2. The Europe 2020 Strategy
Aims to stimulate economic growth at a time of global recession and support development of greener economies in Europe. It calls for:
building a more competitive low-carbon economy that makes efficient, sustainable use of resources
protecting the environment, reducing emissions and preventing biodiversity loss
capitalising on Europe's leadership in developing new green technologies and production methods
inclusive growth, specifically “raising Europe’s employment rate – more and better jobs, especially for women, young people and older workers”.

3. UK Government Climate Change Act 2008
Legally binding targets: Green house gas emissions reduced by 80% by 2050, CO2 emissions reduced by 26%
Carbon budgeting system: 5 year caps on emissions
Committee on Climate Change: Monitor annual progress
Include Aviation and Shipping emissions
Have regard for the impact of domestic action on climate change
Further measures: Introduce powers and legislation on biofuels, household waste, Green Deal
Risk Assessment: Every 5 years

4. Government’s Low Carbon Plan
Britain powered by cleaner energy
More efficient energy use in homes and businesses
Secure energy supplies and stable energy prices
Jobs and growth benefits from a move to a low carbon economy
Government departments working together
Overarching plan for: Energy generation, Transport and the Built Environment
Principles:
Whole government approach to climate change
Setting legal and market frameworks
Inclusive- all society to cut emissions
Prevent unnecessary costs and share burden
Acting sustainably (with balance between benefits, impacts, costs, targets)
UK to demonstrate our commitment to other countries

5. Selected UK policies: 2008-2010
Renewable Energy Strategy, 2009
The UK Low Carbon Transition Plan: national strategy for climate and energy
The Future of EU Competitiveness: from economic recovery to sustainable growth
The UK low carbon industrial strategy
Sustainable Development Action Plan
Building a low carbon economy – unlocking innovation and skills
Investing in a low carbon Britain
New industries, new jobs
EU 2020 Strategy

6. Coalition Government: recent policies
The Energy Act supporting the UK’s transition to low- carbon energy and international action on climate change. Three policy objectives: the ‘Green Deal’; enhancing energy security; facilitating investment in low carbon energy supplies.
Department of Energy and Climate Change Microgeneration Strategy – plans to improve technology, skills and advice to consumers, communities, small business and the public sector (eg Microgeneration Certification Scheme or MCS)
Enabling the transition to a green economy
Low carbon review
Skills for a Green Economy evidence report

7. UK Skills for a Green Economy recommendations
New ‘skills for a green economy’ grouping of Sector Skills Councils
Improve information, advice and guidance on green economy careers and skills
Improve the quality of green skills provision in further education
Raise awareness of the green economy through Unionlearn to support workforce learning
Support STEM skills for the green economy
Fund up to 1,000 Green Deal Apprenticeships, subject to take-up by businesses

8. Low carbon and environmental goods and services sectors
Renewable energy – hydro, wave and tidal, biomass, wind, geothermal, solar
Sustainable construction – energy management, building technology, smart buildings
Waste management – management and disposal, recovery and recycling, materials processing, energy from waste
Sustainable transport – alternative fuels, efficiency improvements, vehicles, mass transit

9. Sector Skills Councils with ‘green footprints’
Cogent (oil and gas) – has assessed gender balance in engineering and technology provision (only 12% female)
Energy & Utility Skills – low carbon skills with green skills, renewables, sustainability
AssetSkills – ‘greening’ of asset /facilities management; National Occupational Standards and home energy standards
SummitSkills – National Skills Academy for Environmental Technologies to drive MCS qualifications towards new EU installation requirements
Construction Skills – developing training to support the Green Deal Quality Mark under ‘Cut The Carbon’ initiative, installer / energy advisor qualifications, Apprenticeships; gender

10. Scale of Challenge

11. Why train in renewables?
The Renewables Training Network says:
Research showing a requirement to train up to 36,000 mature entrants in the next decade*
Headcount in large wind increased threefold between 2007 & 2010
Only % are “novices”.
Bottleneck in transition training will escalate wage costs
Research from Cambridge Econometrics shows 36,000 mature entrants will need to be transitioned inn to the market in the next decade. Alongside this, many tens of thousands of new recruits will need to be trained to ensure the renewable industry continues to operate effectively and reach its maximum potential.
These figures are not entirely speculative – while question marks do exist over the scale and final level of growth, we have already seen headcount in large wind increase threefold between 2007 & 2010
Only a relatively small proportion of these are straight from vocational or degree programmes, a situation which is not going to improve as the industry grows.
If we do not act now to address the bottleneck in transition training, we risk continuing to witness movement being primarily within the industry which will have a direct impact on escalating wage costs.

12. Low Carbon Construction Action Plan
Demonstrating the benefits and opportunities of low carbon construction through leadership and cooperation across the private and public sectors 
Creating greater clarity in a complex landscape, enabling the industry to better understand the opportunities that will be available to them in the future.
Ensuring that we have the right framework of incentives and interventions to enable the market to flourish and the right levels of skills, research and innovation to enable and support growth
The delivery of the Low Carbon Construction Action Plan will be overseen by the Green Construction Board.

13. GREEN DEAL STRATEGIC ALLIANCE CSKILLS SUMMITEU
GREEN REFURB
RETROFIT
GOVT
DECC
DEFRA
BIS
GREEN COUNCIL
GREEN CONSTRUCTION BOARD
GREEN DEAL
ASSET
GREEN DEAL STRATEGIC ALLIANCE
CSKILLS
SUMMIT

14. What is the Green Deal?
A Collaborative Approach to the Green Deal and the Low Carbon Agenda
Range of measures, such as insulation, heating or lighting, to be installed in people’s homes and businesses at no upfront cost
Green Deal is based on the principle that some energy efficiency related changes to properties pay for themselves
14 million of the UK's 27 million homes expected to benefit. It also predicts that it will create 100,000 jobs by 2015
Energy saving measures recommended for properties will need to be both appropriate to the construction of the property and correctly installed
A competent property assessment and installation workforce is therefore essential
A common Code of Practice (CoP)

15. The structure of learning in the UK

16. Women and ethnic minorities in building occupations post 2000
Women : 10.2% construction, 0.3% manual trades
Painters and decorators 3%
Floor and wall tilers 1.4%
Carpenters and joiners 1%
Women make up 3% of all construction trainees
Women make up 7% of all construction trainees in further education colleges
Male workers dominate the industry in manual occupations where they constitute 99.7% of the private-sector workforce

17. UK country report findings
There has been an interruption in UK public policy development to support the green economy between spring 2010 and 2011
Many of the initial proposals have not been enacted by the new Government or unevenly so. As a result, the UK can point to only a few headline ‘flagship’ initiatives.
The recent economic troubles have come at a price to the green economy, with the new government giving greater emphasis on financial measures to bring the UK back into recovery.
Recent announcements such as the incoming Green Deal Programme do not support the green economy, but are mainly a fiscal instrument to encourage contributions by private householders.
This lack of policy commitment from centre is disappointing given both the need to shift to a low carbon economy – but good practice examples show that, despite the lack of clear policy intent and financial support, developments and initiatives are blossoming.

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19. Recent initiatives