In its shift to reach net zero emissions by 2050, the Government has announced a ten-point plan, intended to tackle climate change, which is also projected to help the labour market in its recovery.
The Government has announced plans to invest £4 billion in a move that will look to create 250,000 green jobs in the UK.
These jobs are expected to be particularly focussed in areas such as Scotland, Wales and the Midlands as well as the North of England.
As part of this ten-point plan to reach a carbon neutral UK by 2050, the Green Jobs Taskforce has been set up in order to “work through the immediate and long-term challenges of delivering skilled workers for the UK’s transition to net zero”.
Within this, the taskforce will be responsible for ensuring UK has the correct skills that are immediately needed to implement the plan in addition to also developing a long term plan which will chart out the skills needed in the future as the situation fluctuates and changes. Furthermore, a key consideration of the taskforce is to create a “diverse workforce” whilst ensuring that the people in this workforce are placed in good quality green jobs.
The duties further state that the taskforce will support workers who currently work in high carbon transitioning sectors such as oil and gas industries and help them to retrain in “green technologies”.
It is hoped that this 10 point action plan outlined by the Prime Minister in addition to this taskforce will help to support two million green jobs by 2030 – a key component in the recovery of the labour market following the global pandemic.
The Government states that this taskforce will build on the previous support already supplied by the Government in the wake of COVID-19, most notably the furlough scheme which has now been extended until March 2021.
The Chair of the Greens Jobs Taskforce and Business and Energy Minister, Kwasi Kwarteng, said:
This government has promised to do all it can to provide good quality, secure work as we build back better and greener from coronavirus.
The Green Jobs Taskforce will oversee the UK taking strides towards long-term economic prosperity, as well as transitioning to the new low-carbon green industries of the future.
Apprenticeships and Skills Minister Gillian Keegan, who is also a Chair alongside Mr.Kwarteng, said:
It is now more critical than ever to make sure people get the skills they need to progress and that will help our economy to recover.
I am very much looking forward to co-chairing this important taskforce so we can create more, high quality green job opportunities, levelling up our economy and delivering on our commitment to be net zero by 2050.
Monica Sharma is an English Literature graduate from the University of Warwick. As Editor for HRreview, her particular interests in HR include issues concerning diversity, employment law and wellbeing in the workplace. Alongside this, she has written for student publications in both England and Canada. Monica has also presented her academic work concerning the relationship between legal systems, sexual harassment and racism at a university conference at the University of Western Ontario, Canada.
