Do we have the skills needed for the green transition? April 2022

With sustainability and climate change now at the top of the agenda, I constantly find myself wondering about the green skills and green roles needed for this revolution. The transition to a low-carbon economy will not be easy. As such, we need to ensure that we (the workforce) are equipped with the right skills to adapt to this change and successfully compete in the labour market.

Upskilling will be necessary for all jobs and sectors, even if the title does not include a reference to sustainability.

For instance, construction workers will require up-to-date training around energy efficiency. Doctors will be expected to understand the importance of minimising hospital waste. Corporate managers will have to respond to their customer’s environmental and social demands. In other words, we will all need to act on sustainability.

Yes, this is a huge challenge. But it’s also an immense opportunity. The latest report on Green Skills states that job postings requiring green skills are growing faster than the share of green talent. This highlights a key issue: firms and governments have not equipped workers with the green skills necessary to respond to that demand. This is a significant missed opportunity!

The study also mentions that the fastest-growing greening jobs globally come from a variety of sectors. These include roles such as Compliance Managers, Facilities Managers and Technical Sales Representatives. So, if you thought of sustainability as the sole responsibility of sustainability professionals, I invite you to re-consider this premise. After all, you might need to get involved much sooner than expected.

So, what steps can you take to prepare? To support you in this process, the Supply Chain Sustainability School has developed free online training covering a wealth of topics that will help bring you up to speed with the core concepts around sustainability.

Sign up today to access our e-learning modules, videos, workshops and events, and get ready to be part of the change.