Green Jobs Delivery Group takes first steps to delivering green jobs promise

The government’s Green Jobs Delivery Group, which has been set up to create green jobs opportunities in the UK, held its inaugural meeting in May.

The group is co-chaired by Energy and Clean Growth Minister, Greg Hands, and E.ON UK Chief Executive, Michael Lewis, and is comprised of figures from industry, academia and trade unions, including Prospect senior deputy general secretary, Sue Ferns, who is also the current TUC President.

The aim of the group is to help support the creation of up to 480,000 skilled green jobs in the UK by 2030, to help the government achieve its Net Zero and Energy Security strategies.

Following the Green Jobs Delivery Group’s first meeting Sue Ferns said:

“This provides a great opportunity to progress recommendations of the Green Jobs Taskforce, including full involvement of trade unions in planning for and delivering a Just Transition. Workshops, to be held later in June, will consider how best to organise the work in order to make measurable progress.”

She added that the work brings together input from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Department for Education, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Treasury, reflecting the need for a cross-government approach to tackling the climate crisis.

Renewable energy, as well as new nuclear, is a key part of the Energy Security strategy, which included the following pledges:

• A fivefold increase in our offshore wind capacity to up to 50GW by 2030,
• A doubling of up to 10GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030, helping power industry and transport,
• Increasing the UK’s 14GW of solar capacity fivefold by 2035.

Energy Minister and Green Jobs Delivery Group co-chair, Greg Hands, said:

“We will need tens of thousands of skilled workers for our clean transition and to boost energy security; and well-paid green jobs will help with the cost of living. Spreading opportunity by levelling up all parts of the country.

“The UK’s most important asset is its workforce. Our new Delivery Group will help us ensure employers have the know-how and employees the skills to drive our transition to becoming the world’s leading green economy.”