Despite wanting jobs to combat climate change – and increasing employer demand for green skills – young people do not understand enough about what ‘green skills’ and ‘green jobs’ actually are, according to our new research with WorldSkills UK.

Our new report cautions that the UK risks missing its net zero targets and losing out on inward investment and high-wage jobs because young people’s appetite for jobs combatting climate change is being thwarted by a lack of advice and support on how to pursue a green career.

The report suggests young people fully understand the dangers the planet faces, with 71% saying they want to combat climate change and 62% saying they are passionate about sustainability. However, they are unsure know how to turn that passion into a career.

Meanwhile, employers are clear that they already have issues due to a green skill shortage. They expect things to get worse and are unconvinced the education system can solve the problem.

Three-fifths (59%) of employers said they need green skills now, or will in the future and of them two-thirds (67%) have struggled to recruit staff with the right skills. More than two-fifths (43%) said they were struggling to meet rising energy costs and 39% said the education system was failing to equip young people with the necessary skills.

Other key findings in the report, by Learning and Work Institute for WorldSkills UK, include:

• 71% of employers said it is their responsibility to help tackle climate change
• 79% of young people said it is important to work for an organisation committed to tackling climate change
• 87% of young people said they did not know what green skills were
• Young women (83%) were more likely than young men (77%) to say that it was important to work for an organisation committed to tackling climate change
• However, there is a significant gender gap in young people’s knowledge and understanding of green skills, with young women (72%) being more likely to say that they have never heard of green skills, compared to young men (53%).

Green skills are defined as the skills needed to promote a green economy recovery focused on reducing carbon emissions. This can range from technical green skills such as those relating to construction, engineering or manufacturing, to more general green skills such as project management, change management, leadership and communication skills.