North West to develop UK’s first regional Net Zero Skills plan

The North West is set to develop a new Net Zero Skills Charter to ensure the region benefits from the projected rapid growth in green jobs.

The move is a collaboration between key organisations including Net Zero North West (NZNW), the North West Business Leadership Team (NWBLT) and academic institutions including Manchester Metropolitan University, who together have launched a new pan-regional group to create the 660,000-strong workforce necessary to help reduce carbon emissions. The Net Zero North West have targeted for the region to become carbon neutral by 2040, a decade ahead of the national 2050 target.

The group will develop a Net Zero Skills Charter, which will identify and address the skills gaps and put an action plan in place to make sure business and industry have access to the talent they need to successfully transition to and succeed in a net zero economy.  The charter will plan practical measures to support both younger generations and those already in work into new, green jobs as they emerge.

A flagship green careers event is also being planned to take place later this year in the North West, marking one year on from COP26 being held in the UK.

Carl Ennis, Chair of Net Zero North West and CEO, Siemens GB&I, said:

“The North West is already leading the UK’s net zero future, slashing carbon emissions and carving a new path by creating a green industrial economy with a workforce of over 660,000. But, the availability of the right skills will be a significant risk to reaching our climate goals if we don’t act now.

“We’re spearheading a joined-up approach between industry, education and the region’s elected leaders to make sure we have the right people and skills available at the right time to benefit from a wave of green jobs on the horizon. Such a joined-up approach, through a Net Zero Skills Charter, will ensure we set the blueprint for how to train and retain low carbon talent in the region, and then export that expertise out to the rest of the UK, Europe and the world.”

The Net Zero Skills Charter is being informed by research undertaken at Manchester Metropolitan University that identified a skills plan will be critical to managing the transition to net zero to make sure students, individuals, and businesses prosper as the UK addresses the climate emergency.

Professor Malcolm Press, Vice-Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University, said:

“Net zero is a huge opportunity, not only to create a better future for our planet, but to create thousands of better futures for our people. This report is an important reminder that, while carbon transition will see some technologies and jobs disappear, it will also create new roles and new technologies. The North West, once the cradle of the industrial revolution, can once again lead our nation and our world in imagining and creating a prosperous future. The challenge now is for businesses and educators, such as Manchester Metropolitan University, to work together to design and deliver the training and education needed to deliver a 660,000-strong workforce.”