Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 16
16
Paragraph: 73
We recommend that Defra’s Skills Gap Plan cover all areas of the 25 Year Environment...
Recommendation
We recommend that Defra’s Skills Gap Plan cover all areas of the 25 Year Environment Plan and be accompanied by an Action Plan to address skills shortages, developed in co-ordination with the Department for Education and stakeholders. The Skills Gap Plan and Action Plan ought to be published by March 2022 at the latest and aligned with Defra’s existing and forthcoming sectoral plans and strategies, such as the Waste and Resources, Clean Air, Trees, Peat and Nature strategies.
Paragraph Reference:
73
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
The Government is taking a strategic and comprehensive approach to understanding the skills needed to deliver the 25 Year Environment Plan as we conduct our first statutory review of the Plan. In line with Environment Act 2021 requirements for the review of the Environmental Improvement Plan, we will analyse implementation of the 25YEP since 2018, and consider further steps needed. The first statutory review of the 25YEP must be completed by January 2023. Defra is working with the DfE to identify the key skills needs of the sector as part of DfE’s wider work on green skills, and with the appropriate departments and stakeholders to address any skills gaps that are uncovered. We will provide an interim update to Parliament on our work to date to identify 25 Year Environment Plan skills needs, as committed to in our response to the Public Accounts Committee’s Achieving government’s long-term environmental goals report, in due course.