In this contributed blog, Nichola Hay MBE, director of apprenticeship strategy and policy at global education business BPP, argues that while the green transition is creating some new green jobs, including green skills within existing industries and occupations is more important.
The UK government announced its Industrial Strategy in October 2024, aiming to “deliver the certainty and stability businesses need” to drive the country’s growth mission.
While the final publication of the strategy has been delayed until June, work is already underway to bolster growth efforts. The government is prioritising plans for individual sectors, such as professional services, construction, digital technologies and clean energy, to ensure progress in innovation and stimulating the economy continues without delay.
Labour’s Industrial Strategy aims to boost productivity, create high-wage jobs and ensure economic security while leading the transition to a low-carbon future. With a key focus on embedding green skills into education, vocational training and industrial policy, the strategy aims to deliver a fair transition to net zero while creating high-quality green jobs and economic growth.
So, how can we ensure the ambition to boost green skills within this strategy is successfully delivered?
Emerging green jobs and industries
Labour is investing in renewable energy, clean technology and net-zero industries as part of its commitment to a green future, creating and supporting 250,000 green jobs across the UK in the process. As part of this investment, the government is focusing on expanding wind, solar and hydrogen energy production, electrifying transport and retrofitting homes and other existing building stock to reduce carbon emissions and lower household energy bills.
However, there is a current issue among the UK workforce that threatens to stand in the way of filling these new and evolved job roles: skills shortages, where not enough people with the right skills are available.
The Department for Education found that skills shortages doubled between 2017-2022, reportedly accounting for 36% of UK job vacancies. These shortages are felt most acutely in the construction, IT, healthcare and engineering sectors. It’s vital that, alongside this level of job creation, the government similarly focuses on developing the skills of the current workforce.
Why upskilling and reskilling is essential
The shift towards a sustainable economy cannot happen without a workforce equipped to meet the demands of green industries—and training and upskilling existing workers to pivot into these industries is a great place to start. For example, technicians, engineers and builders can be trained in renewable energy and grid management, while senior executives can be educated on governance and ethical decision-making to ensure ESG is at the heart of business strategy.
Much of the workforce is already equipped with the core skills for their respective roles. Investing in training and upskilling is now crucial to ensure they can adapt to evolving job descriptions and responsibilities, as roles continue to grow and transform with Labour’s plans for the Industrial Strategy.
The greening of existing roles
According to the Lightcast’s ‘UK Skills Revolution’ report published in January 2025, the rise in the green economy is being seen more in the “greening” of existing roles than in the creation of new green jobs. The UK’s transition to a green economy is not just changing the way people live but also reshaping the nation’s workforce. In part, these changes can be seen in the creation of new jobs, such as the sustainability specialist.
The report highlights that in 2022, the ONS estimated that there were around 640,000 full-time equivalents (FTE) directly employed in green jobs, 8.4% higher than the estimated 590,000 in 2021, and 19.9% higher than 535,000 estimated in 2020. Overall, growth in green jobs was nearly four times the rate of overall UK employment growth between 2020 and 2022.
However, green skills are not just affecting “green jobs,” but also roles that we wouldn’t necessarily think are related to the environment. For instance, out of a total of 89,000 job postings for project managers, around 7,500 of these have green skills such as environmental law and policy, waste management, and renewable energy as a requirement. Other non-green jobs, like mechanical engineer and safety manager, also have significant numbers of job postings containing green skills.
What this suggests is that while the green transition is creating some new green jobs, it is far more about the inclusion of green skills within existing industries and occupations.
Addressing the skills shortage
The government is taking an active role in addressing the skills shortages across the country through the implementation of regional training hubs and eight new trailblazer groups. These hubs are a key part of the government’s Industrial Strategy and will aim to address regional disparities in skills and employment opportunities across the industries of focus. They will provide tailored training, upskilling and reskilling programs to local workers, enabling them to meet the needs of emerging industries and priority sectors.
These hubs will play an important role in reducing regional inequalities. Currently, some areas such as Greater London and the South East experience higher levels of economic growth, better access to high-quality jobs, and more advanced infrastructure. Others, for example North East England, Wales and parts of Yorkshire and the Humber, struggle with lower incomes, fewer job opportunities and limited access to services.
Through these hubs and trailblazer groups, the government is ensuring that the Industrial Strategy works in favour of the whole country, and all regions will benefit from both an improved economy and thorough training programmes.
On-the-job training
Similarly to upskilling and reskilling, the role of apprenticeships shouldn’t be overlooked as we work our way towards a greener economy. Apprenticeships are a powerful tool for businesses to upskill and reskill at every level and can give people the best start to a professional career, mixing essential on-the-job experience with impactful course content to create highly-skilled workers.
It is for this reason that businesses may look to invest in offering apprenticeships as industries continue to evolve. This way, those already in the working world can hone their existing skills and develop new ones with qualifications to match. This is exactly why apprenticeships are so commonplace for jobs such as manufacturing, engineering, law and finance, as workers often pick up skills much faster than they would in a classroom setting while they earn and learn in a real working environment.
These technical roles will play a huge role in the Industrial Strategy, as many existing workers in high-carbon industries, such as oil and gas, will need retraining to enter renewable energy or green construction and pivot to a more sustainable way of working. Apprenticeships can provide a structured pathway for them to gain new qualifications without having to leave the workforce.
A green future for the UK
Labour’s Industrial Strategy represents a vision for a prosperous, green economy that creates secure, well-paying jobs while tackling climate change. The development of green skills is central to this vision, ensuring that the UK workforce is ready to meet the challenges of the future.
By promoting innovation with a focus on sustainability, Labour aims to refresh economic growth and equity, ensuring the benefits of the transition reach all UK regions. Through strategic policies that prioritise coupling the Industrial Strategy with a National Skills Strategy, the UK has the power to emerge as a global leader in green technology and sustainable industries.
