The Catch-22 in Green Skills Development
So for the last 4 months I've been part of the Welsh Government graduate scheme, working at Bridgend College on green skills development in retrofitting properties (retrofit: adding new technology and systems to an existing property - for example, heat pumps, insulation). However there's a bit of an issue standing in the way of us making the progress we need to make, and I'm going to talk about it here.
The following is all fully my own opinion.
Read on for a scene setter in progress toward climate change action in Wales and the UK more broadly, and a discussion of FE's role within it.
Climate Challenge - the UK Government is not doing enough
The UK is moving toward Net Zero emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) by 2050: the main policy driving this is the Net Zero Strategy. There are dire warnings about the pace of action. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns global GHG emissions “are projected to rise beyond 2025, leading to a median global warming of 3.2C by 2100”, and the Climate Change Committee (CCC) states “despite important achievements in renewable energy and electric vehicles, the Government is failing in much of its (climate change) implementation”.
(And neither is Wales)
Wales has some levers to influence change. The central tenet of the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act is sustainable development, and the Welsh Government has accordingly frozen all new road building in Wales, but the CCC assesses that “Wales is not currently on track for the 80% (cut to carbon emissions) target, let alone Net Zero”, citing a “lack of a cohesive, economy-wide strategy”.
Political Challenge
This is against the backdrop of a Conservative leadership election - the country is rocking between wildfires, hosepipe bans, and temperature records, and neither Sunak or Truss's rhetoric (or prior action) fill onlookers with great hope for the UK's Net Zero goals. There is an unwillingness to make the behavioural changes necessary to combat climate change within our political system, the next Prime Minister may not see electoral value in Net Zero targets, despite YouGov's weekly poll suggesting only Health and the Economy ranking higher in the general public's concern. Welsh Net Zero plans have the benefit of a relatively stable government, it will likely make greater strides toward targets (this of course depends on the focus of Mark Drakeford's successor after he announced his intention to step down). However, the CCC notes pertinently that “the Welsh Government cannot meet climate targets without the right policy and financial commitments from Westminster”.
Strategic Leadership Challenge
Governmental climate ambitions are unclear - it is therefore unclear what skills learners will need to fulfil Governmental climate action. Further Education has multiple responsibilities:
1) Offer commercially viable courses;
2) Give learners required skills;
3) Support Wales’ path to Net Zero.
These requirements can co-exist in some instances and cannot in others.
The Impasse
The broader public sector has demonstrated a desire for Further Education to take a lead on giving learners the skills to embed Net Zero. However, there is a catch-22 in the desired Further Education steer. Further Education providers cannot deliver the courses that are essential to reaching Net Zero unless they are financially viable. Welsh Government bodies cannot reach Net Zero targets unless tradespeople have the skills needed to install new green technology, and businesses cannot support progression toward Net Zero unless the relevant courses are available for their employees.
There are just not enough learners to fulfil construction Net Zero targets: “Systems (in Wales) do not appear sufficiently developed to drive the necessary growth in low carbon and green transition sectors”. For retrofit alone, the Construction Industry Training Board indicates around 7,600 more jobs will need filling by 2028.
What can FE do?
Firstly, I've made clear that I believe it's a multi-agency problem, as all wicked problems are. We must embody the Future Generations Act and work collaboratively: there are seeds of hope here already. Engaging with councils, regional service boards, skills partnerships and small businesses will be key to ensuring the right voices are heard.
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I hope I've also made clear that FE is a little hamstrung when it comes to taking seismic action on green skills. It seems there is limited demand from businesses and learners, and there are supply in courses for learners to choose from. The City & Guilds L2 Award and Certificate in Retrofit is a nod in the right direction here, but it emphasises the time it takes to write a course framework. There is also limited clarity in direction - a college could invest in lecturer upskilling, course materials and technology to deliver a course on clean hydrogen, for Government to declare major investment in wind in the college's area.
We must also consider skillsets we haven't previously associated with green development - as one example, it is increasingly obvious that, with the draughtiest housing stock in Europe, and a shift to heating homes with heat pumps (a less hot, more energy efficient heating system) insulation is an absolute essential focus for FE to deliver courses in. But there's a second skill-set here, under the surface. Britons think insulation, they think cladding, and they think fire risk and regulatory quagmire. Someone is going to be required to work with home-owners, or social housing and rental tenants, to assuage fears and support with advanced technical knowledge of the retrofit. A communications expert, with on the ground skills.
Further Education Institutions must also work to put sustainability into SMT's conversations, not just as a side-lined sub-group, but in Key Performance Indicators. Learner outcomes should be tracked, do they understand climate change? If not, why not? How is sustainability and climate built into the curriculum? How is sustainability and climate built into the student experience? With young people increasingly concerned and fired up about climate action, you are potentially missing out on engaging your students with something they're very passionate about. Colleges often have a sustainability strategy, but the contents of that strategy are generally related to the running of the college - moving away from animal products in the canteen for example - they rarely involve green skills and green courses. There is an awareness that 'more must be done', but none of that statement is explained in any detail.
Believe me, students view 1 hour e-learnings with as much enjoyment as you do. It's got to be engrained.
Some courses have projects as part of the assessment criteria - can those projects have a sustainability slant to ensure learners are grappling with some of the issues they will be grappling with in 10 years time?
FE has also got to be really conscious about recreating gender norms in the workplace - MacBride-Stewart & Parken warn that “existing socio-economic inequalities…risk being carried into the future”, and multiple sector reports warn that young women in particular are not supported to understand green jobs and career options. We have the chance to do it differently, if we are willing to take it.
Lastly - the key is that we've just got to do 'something'. The time we had for talking is long gone, we need to meet our climate change ambitions and we need to do it now, for future generations of young people. @Whatsthepont on Twitter talks about Trojan Mice, or 'Well Managed Risks' - "Safe to Fail Probes for Complex Problems". This is the essence of this recommendation, it's time to probe the problem, and work on solutions, together.
We've got 28 years, a ticking clock and a rising tide for company.
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Get in touch if this was interesting to you! This is not going to happen individually, it needs big, meaningful change.
I'm on Twitter @JoeySt0cks, or you can email me @ jstockley@bridgend.ac.uk.
Further reading you might find interesting:
Communications Team at City & Guilds
2yGiven your post Joe Stockley, you may find the middle episode here: https://bit.ly/3NLG3sI of interest.
Happily retired
2yBut apart from doing what we can in our house, we feel somewhat powerless
Husband | Recruiter at Justice Digital | Small Holder | Musician | broken ex Rugby player |
2yVery interesting stuff Joe!