Businesses in the UK have not been exactly enthusiastic about green skills training opportunities for their teams, according to new research.
England-based energy supplier OVO commissioned a study into the green skills gap, a challenge not just for the UK but globally, amidst a rapidly expanding sustainable energy sector.
According to OVO’s research, despite this perplexing problem, just 7% of workers in the UK said they have received dedicated upskilling development training through their employer. That’s fewer than 1 in 10 people, and only around 30% of workers have ever even heard of “green skills.”
“Without significant investment in the green workforce, the UK risks losing its place as a world leader in net zero,” Charlotte Eaton, Chief People Officer at OVO, said.
“We need more people to help us on our mission to install electric vehicle chargers, heat pumps, solar and insulate homes across the UK.”
Green Skills: A Persistent Challenge
Green skills, a diverse set of knowledge and competencies spanning a wide range of industries across the green economy, have been in high demand for years as major world powers push closer to achieving net-zero goals.
Even though green jobs are on an intense upswing, and the industry promises to be highly lucrative for workers, green skills have continued to be a major impediment to the industry employing as many people as it could worldwide.
OVO found that the issue isn’t due to a lack of interest either.
Its research found that 21% of UK workers have asked their employers to facilitate green skills training at least once. A majority, 61%, recognize the value of this upskilling, believing that having green skills will make them more appealing to future employers.
Enormous Job Prospects
Based on research from ManPowerGroup, a global staffing firm, the projections held by UK employees are precisely correct as around 70% of employers worldwide are “urgently” looking to hire staff with green skills.
OVO also noted that the UK would need approximately 362,000 workers by 2035 just to decarbonize homes—and that’s not including the hundreds of thousands of other workers needed in the industry.
This is why OVO has launched an initiative to upskill 15,000 workers in green job positions, including advisors, surveyors, and installers. They commissioned the study to emphasize the importance of upskilling in the global green transition.
“The green skills gap facing our country is one of the biggest challenges we’re facing as a country, and we can’t do it alone,” Eaton said.
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