Commons Report Supports Mainstreaming Green Jobs and Skills

IEMA supports the call for Government to establish a leader for the green skills agenda, as detailed in a report published by the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee on green jobs and skills.

IEMA gave written and oral evidence to the Committee during the course of its inquiry and welcomes the inclusion of key recommendations in the report.

As well as the requirement for a green skills champion, the Environmental Audit Committee’s inquiry into Green Jobs and Skills also stresses the need for action on green jobs to be directly linked to achieving legally binding carbon reduction targets in key sectors. Highlighting the importance of mainstreaming environmental knowledge, the report states:

“A body to lead the green skills agenda must be found and low-carbon skills need to be integrated through the whole skills delivery system to encourage behavioural change across the entire economy.”

The report also states that: “...a more general green skills set will be required to provide the entire economy with resource efficiency and leadership skills needed as the economy moves to more sustainable patterns of production and consumption”.

Commenting on the Committee’s report, Martin Baxter, IEMA’s Executive Director – Policy, stated “Green jobs and skills will be vital in the transition to a low carbon and resource efficient economy. This agenda isn’t just about creating new green jobs, important though they are, it is about ensuring that all jobs are being undertaken in a much greener way.”

The report acknowledges IEMA’s evidence and contribution on green skills, highlighting that ‘IEMA believes that mainstreaming environmental knowledge and skills across all sectors will be essential to achieving a low carbon economy. In 2008 Lantra, the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for the environmental and land based sector, commissioned IEMA to undertake research into existing National Occupational Standards (NOS), Training and Qualifications in relation to environment and sustainability. A key finding of the research was the lack of a clear structure and framework for environmental and sustainability skills.’

A copy of the Committee’s report can be downloaded from here