Building Momentum

Workforce projections for a green skilled workforces set daunting targets. Tapping into companies who are already training people up will help.

The recent Green Jobs Taskforce report identifies a range of skills required to deliver net zero across several sectors and occupations. For some sectors, the report gives a detailed description the skills needed and the occupations that need them. For other sectors, the report seems less clear. Here are a few initial thoughts.

Significant momentum will be needed to train and accredit thousands of additional and extended skilled people for offshore wind, heating for buildings, automotive manufacturing, maintenance, and infrastructure, etc. Looking across the supply chain for heat pumps alone we see a major ripple of new skills demand, from component and whole unit manufacturers through to heat systems design and integration and on to installation. Companies like Worcester Bosch, Valliant, and Rehau understand the whole supply chain, while major installers and repairers like Aspect and Pimlico clearly understanding the consumer end. We need to tap into companies like these if we are to hit the domestic net zero target for an installation workforce of 65,000-90,000 by 2030.

For electric vehicles (EVs), by 2030 we will need a workforce of 90,000 for repair and maintenance alone, based on the current sales growth of EVs in the UK. This is in addition to the workforce needed for EV manufacturing (50,000-100,000 between 2025 and 2050), battery cell manufacturing (7,500-10,000 by 2030) and specialist technicians (21,000 by 2030). Again, the green-skilled workforce needs to be developed, with companies like Halfords (with 1,300-2,000 EV technicians) and Kwik Fit (570 EV technicians) focusing on EV repair and maintenance.

These are big numbers, and this doesn’t even take into account the people needed to build, operate and maintain the EV charging infrastructure.

One way to tackle these daunting workforce development targets could be to form a series of supply chain workforce development groups. Each group would need to look at the requirements of its whole supply chain, rather than particular sections or technologies within it, and derive meaningful workforce plans. The groups would need to consider factors like the movement of people between the growing green sectors and include pooling efforts to avoid major duplications and competition for scarce resources.

In The Green Edge we aim to interview several of the key players and explore their current plans and thoughts in the wake of the Green Jobs Taskforce report. Subscribe to receive the newsletter articles direct to your email inbox.