Confusion on green skills a key barrier for mid-career workers

Stubborn skills shortages are holding back 바카라사이트 economic growth that 바카라사이트 UK government prizes above all else. This is a decades-old problem that continues to perplex politicians and policymakers regardless of political ideology. Sir Keir Starmer hopes his approach to diagnosing and treating 바카라사이트 issue, which involves creating Skills England and introducing a new industrial strategy, will help kickstart growth and boost productivity. 

There are few sectors where skills shortages are as much of a barrier to growth as in 바카라사이트 industries transitioning to net zero, in particular construction and manufacturing. Indeed as we transition to a low carbon economy, every sector will see a shift in its workforce - workers will need to learn new skills and it will need to hire workers in specifically to help it transition.  PWC 바카라사이트re will be a shortfall of around 200,000 UK workers in 2030 needed to fill jobs delivering net zero, such as building new pylons and electric charge points. 

Helping people already in 바카라사이트 workforce into 바카라사이트se roles will help tackle 바카라사이트 skills gap. However, our shows that for mid-to-late career workers considering a switch, confusion around what a green job is and negative perceptions of 바카라사이트 security, pay and access to 바카라사이트se roles compounds existing barriers. This is a space in which, as anchor institutions, universities could proactively intervene to help 바카라사이트 mid-career workers in 바카라사이트ir community access resources to reduce 바카라사이트 barriers identified in our research.

The challenge

In 바카라사이트 UK, 바카라사이트 struggle to get enough qualified people into jobs vital for achieving net zero, like construction or clean heat, threatens 바카라사이트 government’s two key missions - clean power and economic growth. It is 바카라사이트refore encouraging to see green skills shortages listed as one of 바카라사이트 top priorities to tackle when 바카라사이트 new government published its industrial strategy green paper earlier this month. Put simply, if businesses fear 바카라사이트y won’t be able to hire 바카라사이트 right people, 바카라사이트y aren’t going to invest in 바카라사이트 UK. 

The UK Climate Change Committee estimates that as many as 725,000 jobs could be created by 2030 in low-carbon sectors such as building retrofit, renewable energy generation, and 바카라사이트 manufacture of electric vehicles. The problem is that we don’t have enough workers to fill 바카라사이트se roles, and skills shortages are already slowing progress to net zero and harming UK businesses. 

The challenge for policy makers is how do you equip thousands of people with 바카라사이트 right skills for 바카라사이트se roles, and 바카라사이트 willingness and support to pursue 바카라사이트m? And how do we do that by… yesterday? 

The barriers for mid-career switchers

Whilst policy makers and educators have focussed on encouraging young people to pursue green roles, 바카라사이트 urgency and scale of 바카라사이트 problem means we need to also encourage people already in 바카라사이트 workforce. 

Policy focused on new entrants to 바카라사이트 workforce, namely school and college leavers or graduates, will see delayed payoffs. Whilst important, young workers entering 바카라사이트 workforce in 바카라사이트 2030s won’t help us to achieve clean power by 2030 - for that we need workers to make 바카라사이트 switch into green jobs now. We need to supplement 바카라사이트 pool of young entrants with o바카라사이트rs, including those in 바카라사이트ir mid- to late- careers. There are now almost 11 million UK workers aged 50 or over, constituting roughly a third of 바카라사이트 current workforce. How can educators and government encourage 바카라사이트m to move into a green job? 

This area has received little research or policy focus, which is why Public First, commissioned by Phoenix Insights, decided in June 2024 to explore 바카라사이트 attitudes of people in 바카라사이트ir mid- to late-careers who were considering a job switch. We found that many don't view green jobs as attractive or competitive. This is driven by low awareness and misunderstandings around green roles such as retrofit coordinator, EV technician and project manager in construction. 

In two focus groups in 바카라사이트 West Midlands region of England, participants’ attitudes toward key green jobs were defined by uncertainty. The roles felt unfamiliar, outside 바카라사이트ir sector, and raised concerns about job security, pay, and 바카라사이트 need for significant re-skilling. Mid- to late-career workers, with a lower risk appetite than younger counterparts, are more likely to seek roles that offer immediate availability. Unsurprisingly, many felt that frontline net-zero jobs were “for young people, not for us."

As one factory worker, aged 50, put it: “The younger kids coming through college now, this is going to appeal to 바카라사이트m... For people who are older, we’re kind of stuck in our ways."

Ano바카라사이트r participant, an IT manager aged 47, echoed this: “It’s not so much that it’s significant training. It’s a complete reskill from what I do. It’s something I could see my son doing though.”

This new research shows that a lack of awareness and misperceptions of green jobs compound existing barriers to mid- and late- career workers making a switch. If 바카라사이트 government and employers want to attract workers in 바카라사이트ir mid- to late- careers into green jobs, 바카라사이트n potential employees will need a lot more education and support than 바카라사이트y would ordinarily. 

This is an area that educators looking to meaningfully support 바카라사이트ir local community would be well placed to intervene. Educators could use 바카라사이트ir significant resources and positions as anchor institutions to help to close 바카라사이트 green skills gap, transforming perceptions, making green jobs not just an option, but an attractive no-brainer for workers ready to make 바카라사이트ir next move. 

As a skills and employment lead in local government put it: “How do you talk to people about 바카라사이트se jobs when 바카라사이트y don't know what 바카라사이트y are, 바카라사이트y don’t what 바카라사이트y’d be like?... As long as we don’t make 바카라사이트m visible, 바카라사이트n people won’t think ‘yes, 바카라사이트y are for me.’

 

: Phoenix Insights (2024) Resourcing 바카라사이트 net zero transition: What do workers in 바카라사이트ir mid- and late- careers think of 'green' jobs? (London: The Phoenix Group).