Mat Ilic is co-founderder and CEO of climate technology and technology firm Greenworkx, and a former special adviser at 10 Downing Street
The question of how to deliver a fair and equitable transition to net zero has been under the microscope in recent weeks following the UK government’s U-turns on climate policy.
“If companies can’t hire the skilled employees they need at a wage they can afford, their work will inevitably slow – bad news for our climate goals.”
It is only right that policy makers consider the social and economic implications of their sustainability policies and the speed with which they are implemented. What is not so readily recognised, however, is that the UK faces an almighty green skills bottleneck that could slow net zero progress more dramatically than any change of government.
It is estimated that 2 million frontline green workers will be needed in the UK by 2030, regardless of recent policy changes. Currently, such a workforce does not exist. And it is the construction sector that will be one of the most negatively affected if this problem is not resolved.
A sustainable infrastructure will exacerbate the skills shortage
Many of the green jobs we need in the UK, and indeed around the world, are skilled manual roles: people who can install electric vehicle charging points, heat pumps and solar panels; energy advisors, engineers and modifiers. The gap between demand and supply of these skills widens with every new infrastructure and construction project conceived.
The main political parties are likely to go into the next general election with ambitious commitments on housing and transport infrastructure. For example, Labor has already outlined its plans isolate 19 million homes and build a million and a half newall of which will remain higher energy efficiency standards.
All of this poses a major challenge for the construction sector, where companies are already struggling fulfill their order books due to inflation and supply issues, aand more than half of existing vacancies are due to shortage of qualifications. If construction companies responsible for major building and infrastructure projects across the country cannot hire the skilled employees they need at wages they can afford, their work will inevitably slow down – bad news for our climate goals and dire news for the economy.
Taking advantage of the agenda
With little progress by policymakers to address the problem, construction companies poised to succeed in this environment will be the ones taking matters into their own hands.
Tackling this problem at pace requires lateral thinking, self-awareness and radical pragmatism. First, companies need to broaden the scope of their recruitment efforts so that their green roles are visible and understood by those with the necessary skills or the desire to achieve them. Green jobs are not only applicable to existing construction workers; they represent a viable career path for other skilled tradespeople, young people looking for a vocation or anyone on a low or precarious income. Similarly, one path to success could be to target more women or candidates from diverse backgrounds, both areas where the construction industry has historically struggled.
However, these audiences have little or no awareness of the roles that might be open to them, a situation that cannot change unless companies break with “just-in-time” hiring practices and implement more thoughtful and inclusive approaches to workforce recruitment.
Second, construction companies must explore all possible avenues to upskill existing team members and train new recruits. Investment in internal training, external courses or apprenticeships plays an important role, but it is also vital to recognize that current traditional training pathways are too rigid to deliver at the speed and scale required.
Business, government and the education and training sector will need to work together to come up with one approach it maximizes talent potential for skill enhancement opportunities. We must recognize the different circumstances of candidates who may be interested in this type of role, and adapt; for example, how learning new skills fits around their existing commitments and what skills they will have in the long term Do you need to develop beyond initial training?
Technology could be a key part of the solution, enabling us to effectively scale skills training and deliver quality, accessible education to those entering the net zero workforce or looking to transition from other sectors
As green building methods and technologies continue to advance, companies that widen their hiring net while investing in continuous upskilling will reap the benefits of a loyal, retained and productive workforce, crucial in a industry where the workforce is currently disproportionately larger and where the whole is shrinking.
The nature of construction is changing and the industry needs to change its approach, both to address the future job market and to drive the UK forward.
