South London Partnership yesterday launched Phase 2 of the Green Jobs and Skills London Report, which focuses in on the green jobs and skills most relevant to South London in the transition to Net Zero.
The report highlights that the growing green economy provides a considerable opportunity for South London. As we move towards Net Zero, South London will see rapid growth in green jobs as we decarbonise our homes and businesses. The research predicts that there will be a 3-fold increase in green jobs over the next 3 decades, from 19,000 in 2020 to 65,000 in 2050.
The jobs that will be created will be at all occupational levels, with a particular concentration of skilled craft roles which, under the high growth scenario will increase by 270% to 2030 with an increase of nearly 13,000 jobs.
Supporting residents in South London to develop the skills needed for green jobs is vital to capitalise on this opportunity for the sub-region and meet the rising skills demands of this rapidly expanding market. This will require both a significant expansion in relevant education provision with clear pathways into green sectors on leaving education whilst also supporting workers to upskill and transition into green jobs from other sectors. This week we started work with a series of three workshops being held by South London Partnership to share the report’s findings and bring together local authorities, educators, and businesses to start the thinking and planning for skills development and transitions.
This follows a successful meet the buyer event hosted by the Constructing South London SLP Programme and Happy Energy. The government’s 2030 Climate Challenge has led to increase demand for retrofit and the event aimed to connect South London construction businesses to enable them to harness this opportunity. SLP’s newly announced Green Academy funding will also build on this work in maximising a green skills workforce to support the decarbonisation of the SLP boroughs.
Cllr Gareth Roberts. Leader, Richmond upon Thames Council and Chair of South London Partnership, said;
“Phase 2 of the Green Jobs and Skills Report provides a solid foundation of research into the key green industries in our sub-region, which are set to expand over the next three decades. The projected rise in green jobs in South London from 19,000 in 2020 to 65,000 in 2050 is considerable. We therefore need to work as partners across the public sector to overcome the existing skills hurdles and support our residents and businesses to harness this opportunity. Using the report to develop targeted actions will enable us to reinvigorate our economy and support our residents whilst transitioning to a net zero future.“
The 2-phased piece of research was commissioned by South London Partnership, Central London Forward, Local London and West London Alliance – the four sub-regional partnerships who together represent the 33 local authorities in the capital. It was carried out by WPI Economics and Institute for Employment Studies.