The Government is not doing enough to help companies create the jobs and skills that are needed in new green industries, a group of MPs has warned.
The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) said Ministers risk failing to prepare the 海角视频 for the future because they had yet to define what a “green job” is and how they are to be filled.
The Net Zero Strategy, which claims to support up to 440,000 jobs by 2030, would have been the ideal opportunity to offer clarity on how to define what a “green job” is and how it can be measured, according to the committee.
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But it said Government plans for a ‘skilled green workforce’ need a detailed plan, without which the Government’s ambitions amount to no more than an aspiration.
It also believes it is key for current and future workforces to be informed about both climate change and sustainability, adding that these are issues which must run through all education and training.
The committee recommends that environmental sustainability appear in National Curriculum and A-level courses and that a module on sustainability should be included in every apprenticeship and T Level course.
EAC chairman Philip Dunne said: “From renewable energy clusters in the North East and Scotland, to engineering powerhouses in the Midlands and nature conservation in the South West, we are building an economy set for net zero.
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“But the workforce of the future is being undermined by a lack of evidence-based Government policies on how jobs will be filled in green sectors.
“Encouraging announcements of investment in green sectors of the economy are very welcome but the Government admits that claims about green jobs lack explanation and data on how the targets will be achieved.”
The committee also says there is a huge proportion of people in the country whose skills and abilities are not being tapped into as currently only 9% of engineers are women and just 3.1% of environment professionals are from an ethnic minority.
It welcomes the Government’s commitment to increase diversity and inclusion in the green workforce but says the sentiment is not enough.
It is calling on the Government to set out its aims in a measurable way on how it seeks to improve diversity and inclusion in the green workforce.
Careers advice plays a major role in making people aware of the opportunities in green sectors but young people have told the MPs they need more advice and information on what jobs are out there.
Adapting the national careers strategy by the end of this year to align net zero and environmental goals could help with this, it was suggested.
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Despite ministers insisting that net zero is embedded across government, the EAC says that employment schemes, such as Kickstart and Restart, do not embed sustainability.
They added that it appears that little future-proofing is being undertaken, with only 1% of Kickstart placements being made in green sectors.
The EAC also called for a national nature service to be set up in 2022 to provide work for people to restore nature and to help develop the skills and knowledge needed to create a greener economy.
A Government spokesman said: “Over the past year, 56,000 jobs have been created and supported in the 海角视频’s green industries.
“To build on this success, we are delivering various initiatives to ensure people have the right skills to gain employment in Britain’s new low carbon industries.”
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