CALLS for a better approach to Net Future Skills have been made in hopes the UK will reach its target of 480,000 ‘green’ jobs by 2030.
Carl Perrin, associate pro vice chancellor of Coventry University and Deepak Farmah, director of the centre for advanced low carbon propulsion systems, made the call as part of new research by the University.
The research is to understand the barriers of training and reskilling workforces for the decarbonisation challenge.
The project is being supported by the West Midlands Combined Authority and the Clean Futures Programme and is looking to explore the current landscape by engaging with more than 100 employers.
The report will be released in mid-September and will detail recommendations that need to be addressed to ensure there is a better approach to creating the right skills ecosystem for Net Zero Future Skills.
Deepak Farmah said: “This level of research, in this particular space, has never been done and we are already seeing some interesting features that have to be addressed if the UK is going to lead the world in Net Zero.
“A ‘Skills for a New Economy’ report revealed that it would take each person in the West Midlands 13.2 weeks of dedicated training to be fit for a green job.
“This puts our region as the one with the most challenges ahead of it and this is exacerbated when you consider that many sectors are dominated by micro businesses and small to medium employers.
“How can they give staff that amount of time off to reskill and retrain? It’s just not going to happen on its own, and we must address this.”
Carl Perrin added: “The analysis should map out the challenges we face and provide the intelligence required to guide the co-design of programmes and government interventions – all with the overarching aim of helping the UK achieve its Net Zero ambitions.
“We have a fantastic opportunity to be world leaders in this space, but we will only achieve this if we have the future skills that are going to be needed by our employers and our academic specialists.”