Department of Energy and Climate Change

Reference Number: 10/849

Open Date: 2010-03-31
Close Date: 2010-06-23 

This is a consultation on skills needs for the low carbon transition.
 

As set out in New Industry, New Jobs, the Government is committed to ensuring that British businesses and our people are equipped to take advantage of this change and prosper in an increasingly competitive global age.

The shift to low carbon described in the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan will revolutionise the way in which we all live and work. Britain needs to be ready to meet that challenge, but also to secure a share of the skilled jobs and global trade it will create.

In our Low Carbon Industrial Strategy, we set out the scale of the opportunities available across global supply chains and launched Government action to help British businesses seize them. Most importantly, we need people with the right knowledge and skills to research, produce and use those technologies and solutions that can make Britain’s global low carbon ambitions a reality.

This consultation set out the Government’s key skills priorities, and the challenges which must be met if we are successfully to:

• Enable British workers and businesses to take advantage of the opportunities in those sectors that are key to reducing our carbon emissions;
• Embed the necessary skills across all sectors to move the UK to a low carbon and resource efficient economy.

The Government recognises that there is a great deal of activity taking place locally, regionally and nationally to provide the necessary skills and knowledge to support new career opportunities. But we also recognise that further effort will be required if we are to realise the full potential of these activities, and we asked for views from stakeholders on what the strategic skills priorities and next steps should be.

The Government response to this consultation was published on 23 December 2010 and is available below.

Post-Consultation document

Consulation document