WATCH: IEMA's Martin Baxter gives evidence to Environment Audit Commission (EAC) Inquiry into Green Jobs

This week, IEMA's Director of Policy and External Affairs, Martin Baxter gave evidence to the Environment Audit Commission (EAC) Inquiry into Green Jobs, highlighting the need for a green jobs and skills strategy with long-term commitment.

During the session, Martin stated that, 'All jobs need to be done in a greener way to meet our ambitions. For example all procurement should be looking through the lens of sustainability and climate. There is a real opportunity to weave greening through the apprenticeship framework so that everyone is able to do their job in a more sustainable way.'

IEMA’s key recommendations to the EAC were:

• We need a national “Green Jobs and Skills Strategy” to embed climate change and environmental protection & improvement across the whole education, training, and life-long learning system.

• The Strategy must be underpinned by ambitious, long-term environment & climate policies that give businesses the certainty to invest in improvements and which create new green jobs and employment opportunities.

• All new green policies, strategies and laws must be accompanied by an explicit consideration of the skills needed for effective implementation and a green skills plan setting out how any ‘skills gaps’ will be addressed.

• The Strategy must ensure that all parts of society have access to the emerging green jobs and skills opportunities – tackling diversity and inclusion must be an integral part of the agenda.

• In defining “green jobs” it is essential to recognise that, in addition to jobs in new and growing sectors (e.g. renewable energy, low carbon heating) many of the green jobs will be in the mainstream economy and are key to driving energy & resource efficiency, sustainable procurement, eco-design, pollution control and environmental improvements in all organisations.

• The Strategy must include a mainstreaming strand…”all jobs greener”….such that all parts of the existing and future workforce are equipped to play their role – including by weaving green competences through the majority, if not all, apprenticeship standards.

You can watch Martin presenting IEMA's recommendations to the EAC HERE, starting at time code: 15.33.