Green Skills Reports Roundup, Feb-22
Continuing our series of green skills-related reports that have caught our eye this month.
February 2022 was a busy month for green skills-related reports and we’re still catching up on some of the others released over the last year or so. Here’s our selection:
Decarbonising Heat in Homes
House of Commons, Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy Committee. January 2022 HC 1038
https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/8742/documents/88647/default
In our opinion, this is an important report as it covers some of Net Zero’s short-term priorities.
The Committee’s work covers the three core technologies for domestic heating: heat pumps, hydrogen, and heat networks, and the barriers to their retrofitting across an aging housing stock. On skills the Committee heard about a ‘skills gap’ in the heating sector which means that workers do not have the capacity or expertise to deliver low carbon heating solutions. The various witnesses made the following substantive points:
It’s important to avoid delays in the supply chain and sub-standard installations of low carbon technologies skills and capacity issues must be addressed, says the National House Building Council;
To achieve the significant scale up the deployment of heat pumps requires an installer base that is capable of delivering this, and the lack of clear policy drivers in the short-medium term means that heating installers have no immediate incentive to upskill, says E.ON:
National House Building Council again : it’s necessary to have collaboration between industry and Government to upskill installers
Government should introduce support and a long-term strategy for education and training in green jobs with grants focusing on upskilling, says the Association for Decentralised Energy.
The Committee notes: “At present these is no company that operates as a one-stop-shop where customers can procure all the services required for a successful retrofit installation and change to a low carbon heating system. Consideration should be given to project management upskilling with regards to whole system and energy efficiency installations to make it easier for people to be able to convert to low carbon heating systems.”
Building Skills for Net Zero
Construction Industry Training Board. March 2021
https://www.citb.co.uk/media/kkpkw42/building_skills_net_zero_full_report.pdf
This report sets out the findings of the project to identify the skills and training requirements generated by the commitment by the governments of the UK and devolved administrations to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions targets. It makes the following key recommendations:
Business as usual demand-led development and provision of training will not be enough to achieve net zero
A working group of stakeholders should be convened to conduct a gap analysis of existing course content, and agree responsibility, resources and timescales for the rapid development of revised and improved course content and new courses required to achieve net zero.
A commitment to a specific decarbonisation pathway is required, including adopting a position on the use of hydrogen for heating, and planning of zones for heat networks and heat pumps (and hydrogen). Low carbon retrofit or new build in zones must then be in accordance with these plans.
Immediate action is required to build up the resources and facilities to address a critical shortage in retrofit design roles, which require experience and take time to train, with particular gaps in non-domestic and traditional buildings; there is also a shortage in specialist building envelope installer roles which require immediate attention. Training of these and other skills required should be supported, so that it is delivered in advance of demand, in accordance with the planned decarbonisation scenario.
The gap between design and operational performance (the performance gap) is by itself sufficient to preclude the achievement of net zero. Steps must be implemented to close this gap, including e.g. updating procurement to make operational performance a condition of contracts, implementing, improving institutional competence (e.g. through management systems) and implementing increased on-site scrutiny (e.g. through Clerk of Works role).
Support for deployment of non-regrets interventions (e.g. cavity wall, loft insulation, smart meters, smart thermostats etc.) should be rolled out immediately, while developing resoyrces to deliver those with more complex training requirements. In particular, there is potential for early wins through the deployment of smart metering and BEMS (particularly in a non-domestic context) to model consumption, target efficiency improvements and modulate demand in periods of high grid carbon intensity.
2021 Vision: The Future of the Electrical Contracting Industry
NICEIC and ECA 2021
https://www.niceic.com/Niceic.com/media/Press-Photos/NICEIC-and-ECA-2021-Vision-Report.pdf
Reports on an extensive survey of the electrical contracting industry (which has 8000 apprentices) capturing a view out to 2030 and identifies the huge significance of green technologies to their day-to-day work, and it reveals the need for skills to cover: new build and renovations, SMART meters, energy saving and energy efficient products and systems, local renewable energy and power network grids, microgeneration systems, intelligent buildings with integrated control systems, computer literacy, wireless technology, greater testing and inspection, battery and other energy storage systems, and a cross-over between traditional trades.
“Green” and “Greenish” Jobs: Essential skills for ecological transition.
L’Institut Paris Region. February 2022
This Paris study is useful as it provides another detailed piece of work to compare with London – so helps address the question: is London doing well or not so?
In Paris region in 2018, 26,100 employees were involved in green occupations and 790,300 in greenish occupations. They are mainly blue-collar or executive roles rarely filled by women. Seven out of ten “green” occupations are located in Paris and the immediate suburbs. “Greenish” occupations are overrepresented in the outer suburbs due to the presence of research centres. Over the past 10 years, more people have been involved in “greenish” occupations than in public transport, construction, or conservation. The green occupations are in the production and distribution of energy and water (41%), sewage and waste processing (39%), and the protection of nature and the environment (20%); with the greenish ones being found in construction (32%), public transport (20%), industry (20%), R&D (14%), other (including tourism) (11%), and agriculture and green space maintenance (3%).
Green Jobs Now. Defining and Estimating the US Green Economy and Green Jobs.
Working Nation. January 2022
This report is a very detailed piecing together of 11 major studies. We think it’s well worth having available when considering the employment aspects of the development of the green economy. A few key findings from the report:
In 1970 there were 1mn green jobs across the US economy – 1% of the total in employment; this rose to 9mn by 2020 (6%) and is projected to rise further to 24mn by 2030 (14%). The studies seeking to establish the number of green jobs widely in their estimates from 1mn to 30mn which highlights the challenge created by not having an agreed working definition of a green job.
The greatest growth in green employment is for standard jobs to take on green tasks and this is clearly shown in the analysis with office clerks having the highest numbers employed in the green economy, and only 11 of the 39 occupations highlighted in the green economy are “green” occupations (conservation scientists, environmental engineers, environmental scientists, foresters, hazardous materials removal workers, insultation workers, natural science managers, refuse and recycle workers, septic tank cleaners, solar photovoltaic installers, and wind turbine technicians).
Green Jobs Now: Pennsylvania
Working Nation January 2022
https://workingnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Green_Jobs_Now_Pennsylvania_01.28.2022.pdf
This is the type of local green economy, employment, and skills profiles that LEPs, with their employer networks, could undertake to help inform local FE and HE programmes. While it makes a deep dive into the green economy of the State of Pennsylvania, we find it notable for the following general recommendations:
For individuals: to invest in learning green skills and prepare for green jobs that currently exist, and that are expected to grow or emerge in the coming years.
For employers: to focus on reskilling your workers in green skills and in particular where your business has the greatest gains from energy purchase, energy and water efficiency, materials usage, and transportation efficiencies.
For educators: pinpoint the green jobs and skills that are growing the most rapidly in your district or region and help your students understand which jobs are the most stable and offer the most favourable careers and rewards.
For policy makers: invest in workers who can gain green skills and impact efficiency and sustainability and become competitive for the growing demand for workers in green core and green enabled occupations. Invest in training programmes that focus on green skills, and couple investment in green infrastructure with investments in training.
Other reports of interest…
Humber Future Net Zero Survey. Understanding the SME Journey to Net Zero.
Aura Innovation Centre, University of Hull. September 2021
Net Zero Annual Review 2020-21
Innovate UK
https://www.ukri.org/publications/innovate-uk-net-zero-annual-review-2020-to-2021/
PWC UK 2022 Net Zero Future 50
PWC January 2022
https://www.pwc.co.uk/issues/esg/the-pwc-net-zero-future50.html
Levelling up the United Kingdom
Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. CP 604 February 2022
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-unveils-levelling-up-plan-that-will-transform-uk
2022 Talent Playbook
Objective insights on the top skills, hiring and compensation trends you need in a changing market
EMSI and Burning Glass. January 2022
https://www.economicmodeling.com/2022-talent-playbook/
The Great Realization: Accelerating Trends, Renewed Urgency. A look at the 2022 labor landscape.
Manpower Group. January 2022
The Working Future: More Human, Not Less. It’s time to change how we think about work.
Bain & Co. 2022
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