Key Findings
This analysis showed:
- All stakeholders are undertaking policy development and research around green skills and a majority are undertaking careers activity and providing skills provision for green construction and retrofit of homes and buildings.
- A minority of stakeholders were focused on skills provision for low carbon transport – mainly around Electric Vehicle (EV) installation and renewable energy.
- Most boroughs are making significant efforts to address green skills shortages but are facing significant gaps in their ability to support green skills due to resource and capacity constraints. Activity is often dependent on external funding, hampering the development of longer-term strategies.
- There is lack of a strategic overview and little co-ordination of activity across London.
Recommendations
The report therefore recommends that:
- London government should develop a net-zero skills strategy and action plan covering the next five years. In the short term, the plan should focus on how to deliver existing London government net zero programmes.
- Inclusion and diversity should also be systematically integrated into all green skills provision commissioned by London local government.
- London Councils and the GLA should jointly lobby government to set out, implement and provide resources for a clear policy plan to stimulate demand for priority areas of green skills shortages; provide short term certainty by funding a large scale retrofit programme to pump prime the necessary training; recognise the role that local government plays in developing green skills and agree an ambitious devolution deal with London government, including a local first approach to employment provision and single funding pot for skills.