Despite the importance of skills and education to securing behaviour change and ensuring a just transition for workers in high carbon sectors, and despite the significant other economic and social co-benefits of direct and indirect job creation via a greener economy, the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill was published without reference to net zero or nature goals or how future skills and qualifications would align with these goals at a national or local level.
Peers secured an amendment that embeds climate and nature considerations for the first time in the skills framework. In the Government’s words, new provisions: “will introduce a specific requirement to consider net zero, adaptation to climate change, and other environmental goals in developing local skills improvement plans on the face of the Bill. This was an issue of significant discussion during Committee, and the Government has heard clearly the concerns raised by peers. This amendment will require the Secretary of State to be satisfied that skills, capabilities or expertise required in relation to jobs that directly or indirectly support the net zero target, adaptation to climate change, and other environmental goals have been considered by employer representative bodies in the process of developing a plan.”