IPPR calls for low-carbon business skills

2 Nov 09
The government must equip the UK with a workforce able to compete in low-carbon industries, a leading think-tank has warned
By David Williams

2 November 2009

The government must equip the UK with a workforce able to compete in low-carbon industries, a leading think-tank has warned.

The Institute for Public Policy Research argues that the government’s skills strategy, to be published in December, must stimulate expansion in green jobs by ensuring potential employees have the relevant expertise.

IPPR launched The future’s green: jobs and UK low carbon transition today.

The institute’s head of climate change, Simon Retallack, said: ‘The strategy must address the “chicken and egg” problem of responsibility for equipping the UK workforce with skills to help reduce business’ carbon emissions.’

He said that employers would be reluctant to spend money training their staff ‘until they are sure that government is serious about taking action’.

He adds, however: ‘Government cannot be confident in meeting targets if the workforce does not have the right skills to compete in a low-carbon global economy.

‘To break this deadlock, government needs to make the first move by ensuring adult skills training contains a low-carbon element’.

The report says the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills must work with trade unions, regional development agencies and other public agencies to manage the decline of industries at risk from the move to low-carbon industry.

The public sector should identify possible new careers for people working in those industries, and identify funding to pay for retraining and relocation, the IPPR says.

Although the report predicts the Treasury would be unwilling to introduce a ring-fenced ‘low-carbon transition fund’ for the purpose, it does suggest that new income from green taxes could account for the extra spending.

Last year’s Climate Change Act set legally binding targets to reduce carbon emissions by 35% by 2020 and 80% by 2050.

The IPPR report says that, for this to be possible, office managers will need to better understand how to save money by making premises more energy-efficient, while finance officers will have to learn to account for carbon.

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