53% of teachers say they do not know enough to inform young people about green careers opportunities, limiting the development of a green workforce, according to a report launched today for Green Careers Week. 

Research carried out by Shift Learning on behalf of The MCS Foundation found overwhelmingly low levels of confidence among teachers when it came to discussing green jobs, as well as limited support for such discussions.  

50,000 heat pump engineers and 60,000 in solar and related industries will be needed in the next decade to meet net zero targets. There will also be a need for a workforce in services such as green accountancy and business planning.  

The report found that schools’ careers advisors were relatively well-equipped to support students in meeting these workforce needs, with 67% saying they had enough information to discuss green job prospects. 

However, schools appear to face major barriers in contributing to green skills developments in other ways. The report found that among teachers:  

• 56% are not confident explaining the range of green jobs options available to students 

• 58% are not confident in explaining pathways to become qualified for green jobs 

• 72% feel they do not have enough resources to support them in talking about green jobs 

• More teachers (43%) believe that young people lack interest in choosing a green job than believe students have enough interest to choose this route (35%) 

Furthermore, 73% of teachers and 70% of careers advisors said students do not often express a desire to follow a green career. 

The MCS Foundation said the findings should draw attention to the limited curriculum time devoted to green careers options in schools. The charity warned that young people are not being made aware of the range of green jobs available to them, which in turn could put net zero at risk.  

With an urgent need to recruit young people into the net zero workforce, The MCS Foundation is recommending steps to ramp up green jobs discussions in schools and to remove barriers to green career pathways, including apprenticeships. These recommendations include: 

• Encouraging schools to allow more time for careers adviser meetings, enabling a wider discussion outside subject preferences and university application. 

• Building more time into the curriculum to build awareness of a wider range of potential careers, as the majority of teachers indicated they did not have the time to talk about careers within their lessons.  

• Providing improved training on apprenticeship routes, particularly for teachers 

• Considering the incentives in place for schools to increase the number of young people taking an apprenticeship route over a traditional university one. 

David Cowdrey, Acting Chief Executive of The MCS Foundation, said: “There is enormous potential for young people to access green jobs on good pay and with strong career prospects. The lack of knowledge and time devoted to green careers, and especially apprenticeships, in schools is holding back those opportunities.  

“The new Government needs to work together with schools, Further Education colleges and businesses to put apprenticeships and green jobs firmly on the agenda of young people as a viable and attractive option for their future.” 

Jane Powell, Managing Director at Shift Learning, said: “Teachers and careers advisors have many claims on their time, but they also have an important role to play in informing learners of the growing range of new opportunities in the world of green jobs. 

“Careers conversations in schools are happening, but the research highlights a need to dedicate more time and resource to broaden these discussions and highlights opportunities to empower teachers by providing more information to schools.”

– ends – 

Notes to editors 

Green Careers Week runs from 4-9 November: https://greencareersweek.com/  

The report can be accessed here: https://mcsfoundation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/MCS_Green-apprenticeships_final-report.pdf  

Latest MCS data shows that 2024 is set to be a record year for certified heat pump installations, with a 45% increase year-on-year between the first six months of 2023 and 2024. But the UK will still need to increase the rate of installations at least tenfold to reach the target of 600,000 heat pump installations a year by 2028. https://mcscertified.com/2024-set-to-be-a-record-breaking-year-for-heat-pump-installations/