The Green Edge Reports Roundup, July-23: Part One - General
Continuing with our selection of reports and other publications from this month’s reading list.
Again this month, we’re splitting our reading list into two posts. This one covers general categories. For Sectors, see Part Two.
As usual, you can find all thes reports and more in our searchable reports list on The Green Edge Data Portal.
Employment and Skills
Skills for the green transition - realising VET’s potential.
CEDEFOP, June 2023
A really helpful paper providing an overview of the green transition at the sector and occupation levels. Looks at the main green transition accelerators and identifies five categories of green jobs: frontline, specialist, management, digital, and hearts and minds (notice that last one). Ideally this paper should be read alongside an early one by CEDEFOP, Skills for the green transition written a few years earlier.
Net Zero Policy Tracker: Turning Net Zero Ambitions into Reality
Aldersgate Group, June 2023
This is a general policy tracker but there a skills specific section around page 20 where the forward agenda is listed out. While it only has a few items on it, they are major a national low carbon skills strategy, update apprenticeship standards, further development of the UK Investment Bank, simplify and expand the apprenticeship level, and better collect data on green jobs and skills. These are big ticket items, and we will know more when the Net Zero and Nature Workforce Action Plan is published in the first half of 2024. This is plan is crucial as it will guide much of the skills supply chain (FE Colleges, awarding bodies, training providers etc.) and how they invest their expertise over the next few years.
A Simpler Skills System
IfATE, June 2023
An important set of four reports (all accessible through the same link), the other three being The Big Conversation Analysis, Employer Perception of Quality, and The Big Conversation Research Report. In the last report, turn to pages 48-51 and you’ll find views on green skills from three perspectives: not engaged employers (SME and large), semi-engaged employers (SME and large), and engaged employers (SME and large). Two big messages here: first, all employers, despite the status of their engagement, are positive about the need for more investment in green skills and jobs; and second, some employers believed that green skills and education should be incorporated into existing qualifications to drive forward skill development across different roles, not just roles that will be labelled as green jobs. These are important messages as suggest we will see the UK skills system starting to take-on green skills in a systematic and informed basis.
Skills for a Sustainable Skyline Taskforce
City of London, Summer 2022
While this taskforce is tackling a key skills area, the piece we’re highlighting is the extensive network (ecosystem) the taskforce has convened (300+ organisations). For us this illustrates the importance of doing the hard work of creating alignment and inclusion of all parties to help them all walk as quickly as possible towards net zero. Other examples exist across the UK of local authorities and the whole LSIP process doing much the same.
Workforce
Bright Futures. Decarbonising the UK’s energy workforce.
Engineering UK, Lightcast, and City and Guilds, July 2023
Makes a few key points around skills transferability from high to low carbon energy and the regional shifts. Makes use of both survey and job postings data. Two fascinating maps (pages 16-17) on the shifts in low energy roles and a table the UK Government should take real note of as it says the top three barriers to progress lie in its hands. A report to be built on with some deeper dives into the renewable energy sectors and a regional perspective looking at the oil and gas transition in the North Sea towards offshore wind, hydrogen and CCUS?
Progress in Reducing Emissions. 2023 Report to Parliament.
Climate Change Committee, June 2023
Buried at the back of this annual update (summary, page 336, and then 348-357) is a useful view of the progress on workforce and skills as key enablers. Not a good report for the Government and, on a secondary note, the CCC notes the loss of potential opportunities, highlighting batteries. It is clear from this report that we need much more detailed targets and indicators of progress. No doubt the CCC will review in detail the planned net zero workforce plans for both energy/power and nature.
Beyond Boosterism. Realigning the policy ecosystem to unleash private investment for sustainable growth.
Resolution Foundation – Economy 2030 Inquiry, June 2023
While this report from the growing body of work by The Economy 2030 Inquiry isn’t focused on net zero or green skills, it is important in that it is seeking to understand and propose changes to boost the levels of investment in the UK. Our simple view is that unless we can boost levels of investment on a sustainable basis across the UK economy, we will not be able to deliver the capital and human investments required to achieve net zero by 2050. Unlocking pensions is a focus and builds on the thoughts of the Blair-Hague recent analysis.
Greennovation meets skills anticipation: policy lessons for making the green transition happen.
RREUSE presentation to a CEDEFOP workshop, June 2023
While this paper focuses on key aspects of the circular economy, one of the big messages in the scale and contribution of the RREUSE network across Europe employing 105,000 people (employees, volunteers, and trainees). Do these jobs get captured in the official statistics or in the analysis of on-line job postings?
The G7 Productive Business Index: Putting Productivity in Context.
Be the Business, July 2023
There is an ongoing debate about the capacity and capability for a business and a wider economy to adopt net zero technologies and circular economy principles. We know in Australia this talk has extended to major businesses presenting data to investors to show their organisations and its people are “net zero ready”. This report works at the national scale and compares the G7 nations, scoreing the UK as being 6th or 7th across five criteria: management and leadership; technology adoption; innovation; operational efficiency; and training, development, and HR. This suggests the UK might well lag behind other countries, and potentially miss the opportunities the net zero transition presents.
Green Jobs Assessment in Jordan. Synthesis Report. Exploring the Employment Impact of Selected Green Economy Initiatives.
GIZ and Cambridge Econometrics for the Ministries of Industry, Trade and Supply, and Environment, Government of Jordon, June 2023
It’s always interesting to view what other countries are doing to boost green employment. This study is restricted to six specific sectors and interestingly tracks the potential of both plastics and textiles recycling.
Levelling Up / Regional Development
State Climate Scorecard. Methods and Documentation.
Rocky Mountain Institute, July 2023
Detailed and local scorecards to move progress towards net zero are always helpful. This scorecard was developed by RMI for the USA (its target audience) and could well be adapted for use elsewhere in the world, including the UK. After all, it is at the local level that actual action will be undertaken to deliver net zero, and where work will be done.
Local Enterprise Partnerships. Transition of LEP functions to CCN members: principles for success.
EY for County Councils Network, July 2023
While LEPs have received a mixed press, they have been and, in some cases, continue to be important bodies in the skills landscape with their convening power and in the creation of local skills plans. So, what is described here with its transition roadmap is important for everyone in England as regards where next for local skills. For us, the importance of local capacity and capability to develop and deliver skills plans are critical to the delivery of net zero, and the transition roadmap contained in this report shows the detail of the functions needing to be captured to ensure continuity and success of local skills work. We would add that those local areas with greater devolved budgets for adult education and skills will have a head start in the resolution of local skills gaps and shortages, and it is in this context this report should be read.
Powers in Place: The Handbook of Local Authority Net Zero Power
UK100, April 2023
The main conclusion from this extensive piece of work is that to progress and deliver on net zero commitments there needs to be a greater devolution of power to local authorities and cities. It proposes three big recommendations: a Net Zero Local Powers Bill; a net zero delivery framework; and an end to contested, short term funding. For us, we find skills weaved throughout the whole document, and is a key beneficiary of the devolution of power and funding.
A Good Life in all Regions. Uniting our country to end poverty.
Fabian Policy Report, July 2023
In order to build a strong economy in all parts of the UK, this report concludes that greater devolution is key, and in particular around transport and skills. Highlights the need for capacity at local level to absorb, think through, and deliver workable policies which integrate the key support areas (housing, childcare). While the green economy and the net zero transition do not get major billing here, the recommendations underpin the capability of UK to leverage their benefits for all.
Wider Labour Market
Data Science Skills in the UK Workforce
UK Parliament POSTnote, June 2023
While green, net zero and sustainability do not get a mention, this is an excellent briefing note for a key set of skills that will enable the net zero transition. Two takeaways for us: the UK currently educates and trains around 10,000 data scientists a year versus a current set of 178,000 vacancies; and, of all jobs postings 2% in the USA are for data science, and in the UK, it is only 1.14%.
NHS Long Term Workforce Plan
NHS England, June 2023
As the Green Jobs Delivery Group starts to pull together its Net Zero Workforce Plan for publication in early 2024, we wondered if there might be some learning points from the work done by the NHS for its workforce plan. We find the NHS plan certainly seeking to tackle the major strategic issues around pipeline development, and the major drivers for future skills and their number, but lacking in some key detail around local areas. We hope, and expect, the Green Jobs Delivery Group’s equivalent does drop down into local areas (Combined Authorities at least) to look at both demand driven by investment and the rate of conversion to net zero energy and circular economy thinking, and the potential supply system and its ability to respond at speed and at scale.
Education
Teaching Climate Change and Sustainability: A Survey of Teachers in England.
Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Education, UCL, July 2023
A key table for us is the one on p17 which lists out 17 subjects (and an additional “other” box) against the degree of climate change and sustainability coverage. As you’d expect geography and science are the most common ones, together with citizenship (part of a pastoral programme). But it also shows how many more subjects could contribute. It’s a pity there are no curriculum maps provided as to how climate change and sustainability are covered in a progressive way, nor anything about the challenge of remaining up-to-date (some indication is given here that videos and films and the media are two key sources of materials used).
Opportunities for Enhanced Climate Change Education in Current English GCSE specification and KS3 Teaching.
Royal Meteorological Society, June 2023
The potential is there to spread and to develop an understanding of climate change across the current curriculum. This view is based on 120 experts reviewing 100 GCSE and KS3 specifications. This is an important realisation and a point of further development considering much of the climate change education is covered in geography and science. Delving further it is worth looking at Curriculum for a Changing Climate which covers art and design, design and technology, geography, history and science. It is critical we develop school based curriculum in order to develop a clear society-wide understanding of a sustainable future and the drivers behind its development.
Opportunity England. How colleges can transform life chances, overcome inequalities and boost economic growth.
Association of Colleges, July 2023
A powerful and brief document capturing the clear drivers for change and the challenges which require immediate solutions. For those of us interested in green skills, the key point is having a robust network of colleges that can support the skills and knowledge component of the transition to net zero. Our hope is that the recommendations spelt out here are acted upon over the next few years.
Future Ready Vocational Education. Harnessing Technology for Success.
Association of Employment and Learning and Providers and the Ufi Voc Tech Trust, June 2023
A timely piece of work showing the continuing rebalancing of education and training making use of technology post-pandemic. This is a theme which needs developing further for education and training capacity and reach to be increased to meet the demand for additional and re-purposing of existing skills during the net zero transition period ahead. While the forthcoming Green Jobs Delivery Group’s Net Zero Workforce Plan will be probably demand-side led, it would be good to see a significant part covering the supply side and the education and training provision side.
National Education Consultation Report. Towards a long-term plan for education.
Foundation for Education Development, July 2023
Calls for a 10-year plan for education along with national leadership and a local structure linked to schools. The report also walks into skills at times with a case study of Liverpool. The 10-year aspect can also be applied to skills and the need to have a long-term view as we enter a period of difficult options. For skills, and it would be too easy to opt for the short term that create lock-in to suboptimal positions in the future.
Public Dialogue on Climate Adaptation.
Leeds University and Ipsos final report for DEFRA and Sciencewise, July 2023
We find these types of detailed and professionally conducted public consultation exercises helpful in terms of how best to frame and develop citizen-wide net zero understanding. What struck us on reading this report was the deep level of concern and thought citizens have on adaptation and the compromises we will all have to make to make collective progress. One key message for us was the need to have independent, trusted bodies leading and overseeing the move towards net zero in the UK.
Eco-capabilities as a pathway to wellbeing and sustainability.
Sustainability, 2022
Provides a useful taxonomy of eco-capabilities in Table 1, and could be worked into many schools’ curriculum. Also fits in well with the other reports listed above.
Micro-credentials at times of digital transition
CEDEFOP, June 2023
A paper presented at a recent CEDEFOP event on micro-credentials and their growing importance for both education and training of people as a part of their routine entry into vocational pathways, and for updating and upskilling. We see micro-credentials as being a key part of raising the rate at which the UK can develop the key workforces for net zero, and open up new career pathways for large numbers of people.
Economy
Fiscal risks and sustainability
Office for Budget Responsibility, July 2023
This understated and well-constructed report takes us through this year’s view of the financial aspects of the transition to net zero (and matches well with the Climate Change Committee’s work), There are two big takeaways for us: first, the Government’s tax take cut from car road taxes with the shift to EV; second and most importantly, the cost of transition is cheaper than remaining with the oil/gas dependency. Here we have provided the link to the slides from which you can also access the full report, but we feel it’s worth pulling out a key paragraph here:
Continuing our dependence on gas at the current level could, in an adverse scenario, be as expensive fiscally as completing the transition to net zero.We consider a stylised scenario in which the UK’s reliance on gas remains unchanged and adverse shocks in global gas prices, of a similar magnitude to that experienced last year, recur every decade. If fiscal policy responds in a similar manner to protect households and businesses from equivalent rises in retail prices, these shocks could cost the Exchequer between 2 and 3 per cent of GDP per year. Taking account of additional debt interest costs and the impact on economic activity, such recurring gas price spikes would add around 13 per cent of GDP to public debt by 2050-51. This is about twice as much as the 6 per cent of GDP central estimate for the total cost of public investment to complete the transition to net zero by the middle of the century.