Skills for a green economy

The shift to a green economy is reshaping the UK labour market. New industries are growing, existing ones are changing fast and demand for skills that didn’t exist a decade ago is rising across sectors from clean power to law. But young people are being left behind: skills shortages are widening even as youth unemployment climbs.

Green Alliance has been tracking this challenge, examining where the entry level jobs will be, which skills employers need and how to connect young people, especially those from marginalised communities, with meaningful pathways into this workforce.

These two reports make the case that young people want to work in the green economy but are being held back by poor information, inaccessible training, and a lack of clear routes in.

Decarbonising UK buildings will require between 120,000 and 230,000 new workers by 2030, more than any other net zero area. But progress on building that workforce has been slow, and domestic training alone won’t be enough. This working paper, co-produced with ODI, examines five ways immigration policy could help.