A new pan-regional group in the North West is planning to develop a net zero skills plan to ensure the region’s young people can fully benefit from the future ‘green jobs bonanza’.
The Net Zero Skills Charter will identify skills gaps and put an action plan in place to make sure North West businesses and industry have access to the talent they need to successfully transition to a net zero economy.
The move is a collaboration between several key organisations, including Net Zero North West, the North West Business Leadership Team (NWBLT) and academic institutions.
According to a new report by Manchester Metropolitan University, a skills plan for the region is a critical requirement to managing the transition to net zero. Jobs and skills are sorely needed to deliver planned interventions and investment in areas such as power generation, transport, homes and buildings, and industry.
Other jobs stem from enabling decarbonisation – such as science and climate change innovation – as well as climate adaption, such as flood defences, retrofitting buildings and engineering of structures to adapt to increasing temperatures.
Prof Malcolm Press, vice-chancellor at Manchester Metropolitan, said: “The North West, once the cradle of the industrial revolution, can once again lead our nation and our world in imagining and creating a prosperous future. The challenge now is for businesses and educators, such as Manchester Metropolitan University, to work together to design and deliver the training and education needed to deliver a 660,000-strong workforce.”
As part of the Skills Charter development, a flagship green careers event is being planned to take place later this year in the North West, marking one year on from the COP26 climate summit being held in the UK.
Carl Ennis, chair of Net Zero North West and CEO of Siemens GB&I, added: "The availability of the right skills will be a significant risk to reaching our climate goals if we don’t act now.
"We’re spearheading a joined-up approach between industry, education and the region’s elected leaders to make sure we have the right people and skills available at the right time to benefit from a wave of green jobs on the horizon.
"Such a joined-up approach, through a Net Zero Skills Charter, will ensure we set the blueprint for how to train and retain low carbon talent in the region, and then export that expertise out to the rest of the UK, Europe and the world."