New Climate Change Committee report must be a wake-up call to government

The Climate Change Committee has published a new report A Net Zero Workforce which examines the skills and education system in the context of the UK’s transition to net zero.

The report sets out the policy and provision of Net Zero skills across the UK, assesses how well this is aligned with current and future needs and sets out recommendations for government on how to better support the entirety of the skills system in the transition to Net Zero.

Senior Deputy General Secretary Sue Ferns, who sat on the group advising the report’s author, said: 

“Whenever we talk about net zero, we should be talking about the huge potential for good jobs. But while countries around the world seize the opportunities of the green economy, the UK is falling behind.

“This report must be a wake-up call to government. The UK must urgently respond to the USA’s Inflation Reduction Act with a green industrial strategy that creates good jobs in every part of the country.

“As this report shows, that must include a proper plan to build the net zero workforce. Without it, we will not meet our climate goals or deliver a just transition for workers on the frontline of change.”