UK government launches taskforce to support drive for 2 million green jobs by 2030

The UK government today (12 November 2020) set a clear ambition to create 2 million green jobs by 2030, launching a new Green Jobs Taskforce to set the direction for the job market as we transition to a high-skill, low carbon economy.

The Green Jobs Taskforce, to be chaired by Energy Minister Kwasi Kwarteng and Skills Minister Gillian Keegan, forms part of the government’s ambitious plan to build back greener and achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

Its aim will be to focus on the immediate and longer-term challenges of delivering skilled workers for the UK’s transition to net zero including:

1. Ensuring we have the immediate skills needed for building back greener, such as in offshore wind and home retrofitting.

2. Developing a long-term plan that charts out the skills needed to help deliver a net zero economy.

3. Ensuring good quality green jobs and a diverse workforce.

4. Supporting workers in high carbon transitioning sectors, like oil and gas, to retrain in new green technologies.

Business and Energy Minister Kwasi Kwarteng said:

This government has promised to do all it can to provide good quality, secure work as we build back better and greener from coronavirus.

The Green Jobs Taskforce will oversee the UK taking strides towards long-term economic prosperity, as well as transitioning to the new low-carbon green industries of the future.

Apprenticeships and Skills Minister Gillian Keegan said:

It is now more critical than ever to make sure people get the skills they need to progress and that will help our economy to recover.

I am very much looking forward to co-chairing this important taskforce so we can create more, high quality green job opportunities, levelling up our economy and delivering on our commitment to be net zero by 2050.

The Green Jobs Taskforce meets for the first time today (Thursday 12 November) and will represent the views of businesses, employees and the skills sectors and includes representatives from the Construction Industry Training Board, Engineering Construction Industry Training Board, East London Institute for Technology, Retrofit Works, Edinburgh University and National Grid.

It will assess how the UK jobs market and the skills sector will adapt to support net zero, developing ideas and solutions for how the UK can deliver the green jobs of the future. The taskforce will create an action plan to inform on what support is needed for people in transitioning industries.

Today’s announcements form part of wider efforts to ensure the UK meets its legally binding target to reach net zero emissions by 2050, whilst creating thousands of jobs as we build back greener from coronavirus.

The government has put £3 billion of green investment into renovating homes and public buildings to make them more energy efficient, which has the potential to support 140,000 jobs and help us transition to net zero.

The launch of today’s Taskforce builds on the £200 billion support package that has been provided to safeguard jobs in every region and nation of the UK, with support now extended until March 2021. Over the past 8 months of this crisis, the UK government has helped millions of people to continue to provide for their families as part of its Plan for Jobs to protect, support and create employment.

Full list of Green Jobs Taskforce membership:

• Sarah Beale, CEO, Construction Industry Training Board (CITB)
• Russell Smith, Director, Retrofit Works
• Nick Molho, CEO, Aldersgate Group
• Professor Dave Reay, Chair in Carbon Management & Education, School of Geosciences, Edinburgh University
• Rhian Kelly, UK Corporate Affairs Director, National Grid
• Jane Cooper, Head of Stakeholder Relations & Regulatory Affairs for Ørsted, Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB)
• Yvonne Kelly, Principal and CEO, East London Institute of Technology
• Peter Stephens, Head of UK External & Government Affairs, Nissan
• Tor Farquhar, Tata Steel
• Simon Ashley, SVP people and culture, BP
• Paul Nowak, Deputy General Secretary, TUC
• Alan Goundry, Head of the Energy Academy, Newcastle College Energy Academy
• Andy George, Head of Talent Management, Barratt Developments
• Sharon Lane, Managing Director Tees Components, Tees Valley LEP
• Sue Ferns, Deputy General Secretary, Prospect
• Angela Francis, Chief Advisor on Economics and Economic Development, World Wide Fund for Nature
• Afsheen Rashid Kabir MBE, Co-founder and CEO, Repowering

UK government has made considerable progress so far to decarbonise the UK economy as well as further actions to deliver net zero, meet the UK’s carbon budgets and build back better from coronavirus.

In July 2020, we announced a package funding of £350 million to cut emissions in heavy industry and accelerate the UK’s green economic recovery. The multi-million pound investment is playing a vital role in helping businesses to decarbonise across the heavy industry, construction, space and transport sectors and to secure the UK’s place at the forefront of green innovation.

Other recent announcements include:

• last month, the Prime Minister set out new plans to Build Back Greener by making the UK the world leader in clean wind energy – creating jobs, slashing carbon emissions and boosting exports. The Prime Minister announced that £160 million will be made available to upgrade ports and infrastructure across UK communities to hugely increase our offshore wind capacity
• last month we launched a £3 billion plan to upgrade the nation’s buildings – the biggest in a generation. This included the £2 billion Green Homes Grant – the government-funded voucher scheme to help homeowners upgrade their homes and save up to £600 a year on their energy bills
• the £200 million Sustainable Innovation Fund package was announced in June 2020 and is helping to power the UK’s economic recovery and develop new sustainable opportunities for businesses in any sector following the coronavirus pandemic, while helping the UK meet its ambitions to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2050
• this year the Department for Transport announced £2 billion, the biggest ever funding package from the department, to work with councils to redesign the streetscape so that it can cope with millions more bikes and pedestrians
• we have consulted on bringing forward the end to the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040 to 2035, or earlier if a faster transition appears feasible, as well as including hybrids for the first time
• on December 12, the UK will co-host a Climate Ambition Summit with the UN and France, and in partnership with Italy and Chile, to mark the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement
• the UK will continue its global leadership by hosting the next UN climate conference COP26, set to take place between 1 and 12 November 2021 in Glasgow.

Over the past 8 months of this crisis, the UK government has helped millions of people to continue to provide for their families as part of its Plan for Jobs to protect, support and create employment. An unprecedented £200 billion support package has been provided to safeguard jobs in every region and nation of the UK, with support now extended until March 2021. This builds on the 9 million jobs already protected through the furlough scheme, £13 billion provided for the self-employed, and billions of pounds in tax deferrals and grants for businesses.

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