The demand for skills for green jobs continues to be driven by environmental change, government policy, technology and markets, which stand the risk of rising unemployment, poverty and inequality. The most prevalent effect of the green transition on employment is the need to reskill or upskill within existing occupations. The right job skills are an essential prerequisite for the transition to environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive economies. However, what does a ‘green job’ entail, and what skills are necessary to enforce change?
Green jobs produce goods or provide services that benefit the environment or use fewer natural resources. Any job, therefore, that identifies a sustainable choice of resources, is potentially a green job – from simple items like ordering office supplies to choosing energy sources.
Organisations (eg companies, non-profits or governments) need to work with employees to understand how to assess the service/product processes to find opportunities to shift the organisation to greener practices and build the coalition of support necessary to create the changes. More specifically, to be effective at helping organisations become ‘green’, employees need to understand:
Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki (WITT) chief executive, John Snook, affirms that education is one of the key enablers to create the next generation of problem solvers, critical thinkers and associated capabilities to drive the change needed to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. As the country moves to a low emissions economy, WITT will be a leading partner in developing the workforce, supporting the transition of workers to the skills required.
Learn more about the education for the Net Zero transition from Dr Ellie Khaghani – Energy Lead/Tutor for Diploma in Engineering – Mechanical, Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki (WITT) on 2 December at Net Zero New Zealand: The Emissions Workshop.