Source · Select Committees · Business and Trade Committee
Recommendation 6
6
Accepted
Paragraph: 27
We note that there are numerous Ministers with responsibility for skills—from compulsory, further, and higher...
Recommendation
We note that there are numerous Ministers with responsibility for skills—from compulsory, further, and higher education to adult and in-work training. The Government previously coordinated a ‘Green Skills Taskforce’ between the then Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for Education. We call on the Government to consider reviving such a taskforce to grapple with the wider challenge of skills shortages in the labour market.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government refers to the existing Green Jobs Delivery Group, co-chaired by ministers and industry representatives, as a means of grappling with skills shortages.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
27
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
The Green Jobs Taskforce was announced in November 2020 as part of the Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution and was convened by Ministers from the then Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for Education. The Taskforce reported its conclusions in July 2021. The policies set out in the Green Jobs, Skills and Industries chapter of the Net Zero Strategy represent a first step in addressing the challenges identified by the Green Jobs Taskforce, which included a commitment to set up a Green Jobs Delivery Group. The actions within the Net Zero Strategy were recently added to through the Net Zero Growth Plan which set out in more detail how Government continues to ensure the skills system is delivering for net zero. This includes the implementation of the Department for Education’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, which will equip children, young people, and adult learners with the knowledge and skills to contribute to the green economy. The Green Jobs Delivery Group (GJDG) was established in 2022 and has met four times so far. The group is co-chaired by the Rt Hon Graham Stuart, Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and industry representative, Michael Lewis, CEO of Uniper. Its membership also consists of ministers from across Government, including Minister Robert Halfon from the Department for Education, who holds the portfolio for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education; Lord Benyon from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, who is the Minister for Biosecurity, Marine and Rural Affairs; and Minister Opperman from the Department for Work and Pensions, the Minister for Employment, alongside business leaders, the skills and education sector, local Government and other key stakeholders. The Net Zero Growth Plan announced that Government and industry will work together to create a Net Zero and Nature Workforce Action Plan, for publication in 2024. To facilitate this the Green Jobs Delivery Group has recently set up a range of underlying time-limited task and finish groups to carry out sectoral deep dives, detailed workforce assessments and understand the further action needed. We have started with a pilot Power and Networks Working group to tackle the range of near-term workforce challenges facing the power sector. This group is helping to unlock workforce and skills opportunities to deliver economic growth whilst meeting Government’s goals on net zero and energy security. The groups principles of intent and a set of head start actions were published in the Powering Up Britain plan in March 2023.
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