Call for green jobs to tackle ‘youth employment crisis’

Green jobs and training must be given priority to tackle the “youth unemployment emergency” and bridge a “yawning” skills gap, say regional stakeholders.

Business and environmental representatives have signed an open letter to the next West of England mayor calling for an urgent response to enable the region to rebuild from the pandemic and tackle climate breakdown.

The plea from organisations, including Friends of the Earth, South West Trade Union Congress (TUC), Business West, Triodos Bank and Teach the Future, comes just two days before voters head to the polls to elect the next metro mayor, with spending powers over skills, training, education, transport and more.

It highlights some of the key challenges facing the region and sets out seven steps the new mayor could take to tackle these through a comprehensive green skills and employment programme.

City to Sea, the social enterprise behind the national Refill campaign, is among the signatories of an open letter to the next WECA mayor – photo courtesy of City to Sea

“The UK is experiencing a youth unemployment emergency,” states the letter. “People aged between 16 and 24 have suffered enormous job losses during the pandemic. Over 7,000 young people in this age group are out of work in the West of England.”

It warns of “economic scarring” and loss of earnings that may persist for decades if people in this group are out of work for one year or more, plus an estimated loss in income of up to half a billion pounds across the West of England Combined Authority area.

The signatories argue the region won’t achieve change on the scale needed to meet current carbon reduction targets without thousands of people trained in new skills and technologies, saying: “There is a yawning gap in the skills needed to transform the West of England’s homes, businesses and transport to meet our zero carbon ambitions.”

Nigel Costley, TUC regional secretary of the South West, says: “Young people are bearing the brunt of job losses due to the coronavirus pandemic. And many more continue to face huge uncertainty for their future as the furlough schemes starts to wind down.

“If we are to avoid scarring this generation of workers, we need an urgent plan that centres on creating new, decent jobs that offer genuine progression and deliver a fair and green recovery. Proper investment in skills is key to this and would provide the opportunities young people need now.”

The letter calls for:

·       Local government’s leadership in developing a common vision, plans and stimulus.

·       Business support so employers and traders can provide apprenticeships and skills development.

·       Putting regional organisations at the heart of the zero carbon transition.

·       Close collaboration with all stakeholders, including trades unions, education and skills bodies, businesses, youth, community and environmental organisations to develop ambitious green transformation policies.

·       Ensuring that the carbon net zero ambition is a key factor in all spending and investment decisions in the combined authority area.

·       Strategic planning and housing policies that mandate the highest standards of energy efficiency and incentivise low-carbon travel.

·       Introducing stronger measures to promote diversity among apprentices and other workers delivering the zero carbon transition.

Eleanor Andrade May from Teach the Future adds: “Recent years have shown that young people have the energy and determination to rise to the climate crisis, but we cannot do it alone. Green jobs and apprenticeships give us the opportunity to recover from the economic fallout from Covid-19 while also combatting the climate crisis.”

Main photo: Chris Bahn

Read more: Leading a Green economic recovery for Bristol and beyond