Coventry Green Skills Roadmap - Print version

Foreword - Cllr Dr Kindy Sandhu

The development of green skills is vital to our future success on the planet, we need to know how to live our lives in a way that does not damage the very life support systems that sustain us. Coventry City Council have a commitment to “tackle the causes and consequences of climate change” which forms one of our three One Coventry priorities. Our Green Skills Roadmap provides actions that can be taken at all educational stages to encourage our young people to consider green careers and to support all to develop the skills needed for a more sustainable future.

The future success of our economy is dependent on a smooth transition from the use of fossil fuels towards greener alternatives and promoting Green Skills is key to that success. Our Green Skills Roadmap provides a framework for supporting local businesses to develop the right Green Skills to support their transition to more sustainable business practices. This includes ensuring we plan for ‘Just Transitions’ for workers in roles which may become obsolete within the next decade.

Our Green Skills Roadmap has been developed in partnership with key contributions and support from; Business in the Community (BiTC), Coventry College, Coventry University, CW Chamber of Commerce, Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), E.ON, The University of Warwick, Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) and others. I want to extend my thanks to all partners for working with Coventry City Council to develop this document.

Background/Setting The Scene

The UK Government has set the target of becoming “net zero” by 2050 and it regards any career that helps the UK work towards net zero to be a ‘Green Career’. Green jobs in the UK are defined as ‘employment in an activity that directly contributes to or supports the achievement of the UK’s net zero emissions target and other environmental goals such as nature restoration and mitigate or adapt to climate change.’ 

It is also worth noting that in a recent report ‘Every Job is a Climate Job’ produced by Kite Insights (2022), 83% of employees surveyed wanted to take action on climate change in their jobs and it is a major motivating factor that helps employees develop a sense of purpose and gain additional job satisfaction by doing something positive.

HM Governments ‘Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution’ (2020) identified low carbon industries currently supporting 460,000 jobs across the UK and identified the opportunity for a further 250,000 jobs by 2030 and the importance of developing new skills throughout life are necessary to achieve this.

With the demand for green skills globally growing nearly twice as fast as the growth in green talent – a global green skills gap is looming, which will have implications for us as a nation. 

• Green job listings worldwide requiring at least one “green skill” grew nearly twice as fast (22.4% between 2022 & 2023 on LinkedIn) as the growth in green talent in the workforce (12.3%). 
• Jobs requiring green skills now make up 30% of UK job listings. 

A recent YouGov poll on behalf of Institute for Environmental Management & Assessment (IEMA) (2024), highlighted that 65% of British adults believe they do not have access to green skills training through their employer, there is clearly a need to act speedily on policy interventions to create a greener workforce. The same poll also found that 56% of British adults have never heard of the term ‘green job’, while 64% also demonstrated a similar lack of awareness of the term ‘green skills’. 

The 2024 National Environmental Services Survey revealed that 58% of respondents revealed that there is or will be a green skills gap. This is backed up by the fact that 49% of respondents involved in recruitment have experienced difficulties in recruiting candidates. 34% of respondents indicated that their organisation provided sustainability training for their employees. Lack of expertise was one of the top five main barriers to their organisations achieving net zero emissions.

The top five biggest opportunities relating to green jobs identified by the survey respondents

• Expansion of the Circular Economy
• Advancements in Clean Energy Technology
• Public Awareness and Engagement in Sustainability
• Strengthening of Environmental Policies and Regulations
• Development of Green Infrastructure

Source: National Environmental Services Survey 2024.

In the same survey the following types of green skills were seen as the most in demand

Green skills, and jobs, will be the engine which drives a net zero carbon economy will be driven and the demand for discreet, and embedded, green capabilities will become commonplace for anyone entering the job market.

National Grid estimates that in the coming decade low energy carbon generation will need to be increased by 50% and low carbon heating systems will be needed by circa 2.8 m homes and approximately 60,000 additional EV Charging points will be needed to power eleven million EV’s.

In their ‘Blueprint for Green Workforce Transformation IEMA and Deloitte identified four shifts in the transition to a green economy:

1. Expansion of skills and scope in existing specialist sustainability roles.
2. Increased need for green skills in non-specialist roles.
3. Transition of workforces from unsustainable sectors to new roles.
4. Demand for green skills in new green sectors and organisations.

This Roadmap is a starting point to support educators, employers, and investors to identify, access and embed green skills in their daily activities. It introduces key topics and provides signposting to where additional support and information can be found. It also highlights some of the key work around green skills that is already taking place and how opportunities can be accessed. The transition to sustainable and greener economies is a huge opportunity not just for our wider health, wellbeing, and social wealth but also for the individuals who will drive the change over the coming years. This is an opportunity to not just address a pressing challenge but to think differently about how we make that change.

Section 1 - Key Definitions and Aspirations

Green Skills: A catch all headline that incorporates the knowledge, abilities, technical skills, and behaviours that support society to address environmental challenges. Green skills are increasingly incorporated across a range of job roles and functions to support businesses to address environmental impact and sustainability challenges.

Green Jobs: Roles that will contribute to the restoration of the environment. These roles vary between sectors but may include specific sustainability roles, those that will support the transition to a greener economy and those in areas of the economy who can have an impact through the adjustment of business management practices.

The IEMA skills map focuses on the following thirteen competencies for green skills:

Core knowledge competencies

1. Fundamentals of sustainability
2. Principles and issues of Business Governance

Technical knowledge competencies

3. Issues and Principles
4. Policy and Legislation
5. Management and Assessment Tools
6. Innovative and Leading Practices

Skills for sustainable leadership

7. Analytical Thinking
8. Problem Reframing and Resolution
9. Effective Communication
10. Relationship Development
11. Resilience, Risk and Continual Improvement
12. Delivering Sustainable Solutions
13. Leadership for Change

Green jobs can be split into the following categories as identified by the US Department of Labour’s O*NET.

Green New and Emerging Occupations: These are occupations that have unique requirements for working in or on the decarbonisation of goods, processes, and services, such as electric vehicle power unit designers. These jobs are closest to the definition used by LCREE. An increasing number of leadership and management roles are being sought by larger companies, public bodies and charities which specifically address sustainability issues. These involve co-ordinating activities across the corporate body and working in partnership with other companies in the supply chain to reduce scope 3 emissions for example encouraging waste minimisation. A key aspect of a sustainability co-ordinators role is to create a culture across their organisation which raises awareness of all sorts of employees across an organisation and through training and performance management standards setting stimulates cultural change which enables an organisation to not only be more sustainable but capable of working in partnership with other stakeholders whether they be customers (CSR), service beneficiaries or fellow businesses that are part of the supply chain. The finance sector is now beginning to address sustainability issues within its investment portfolios with specific outcomes targets that are expected to be delivered. This work is heavily dependent upon relationship building with businesses where meeting sustainability criteria is becoming increasingly important to shareholders and as a measure of the sustainability of a business and its ongoing commercial viability.

• Green Enhanced Skills and Knowledge Occupations: Occupations that currently exist but require a change in their competencies and/or context for working in or on the decarbonisation of goods, processes, and services e.g. maintenance of electric vehicles (EVs).
• Green Increased Demand Occupations: Occupations whose demand is increased due to the decarbonisation of goods, processes, and services, but do not entail significant changes to their competencies or context e.g., example electric power line installers for EV chargers.
• Other or non-green jobs: All other jobs

Areas of training need and the relationship between the issues for skills development

Aspirations: Coventry (and Warwickshire) aims to be a beacon of green employment and investment both regionally and nationally. We seek to embed the skills required to address environmental and sustainability challenges at all ages across the curriculum, to support employers to acquire the skills they need to ready their workforce and to position us as an area of choice for investment by green industries with the support of a robust and capable skills ecosystem.

The World Economic Forum identified Cities as having a key role to play in implementing actions that drive green job creation and equitable workforce development across sectors alongside youth, unions, and businesses towards the creation of inclusive and sustainable economies. Approximately 10% of total employment in cities analysed by the Forum are green jobs with over 25% green jobs in the following key sectors: water supply, sewerage, waste management & remediation activities, transportation and storage, electricity generation, steam and air conditioning supply and construction and buildings. Women currently occupy less than 12% of jobs in the above sectors, so more proactive targeting of women will be required in the future as will individuals living in deprived communities with fewer academic qualifications. The 70 C40 Cities identify 10m direct and 6m indirect green jobs available around the world’s major cities alone. To boost green jobs and ensure a sustainable future public agencies, businesses and investors applying just transition principles can:

• Invest in education and reskilling to equip the workforce and make jobs accessible to a wider population
• Update public procurement standards and use public procurement to drive green market transformation.
• Foster innovation and transformation in key sectors.
• Collaborate for an enabling environment. Partner with the private sector to leverage financial resources to enact change.
• Encourage small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to create good green jobs.
• Recognise and integrate the informal green economy.

Section 2 - Green Skills In Education

Key Actions and Recommendations

2.1 Widen and expand work in supporting schools to embed green skills throughout all curriculum areas and to increase the awareness of the younger generations of the importance of green skills for the future.

2.2 Establish a Young Peoples ‘Green Growth Assembly’

2.3 Training for school’s Careers Advisors to increase knowledge and confidence when supporting students with green skills and the associated job opportunities they will unlock. Including work to encourage more girls to consider engineering / electrical engineering pathways. Working to ensure that young people from all backgrounds and communities are encouraged to consider green skills options.

2.4 Work with Further Education providers to widen ‘Green Skills Pipeline’ subjects.

2.5 Work with Further Education providers to increase diversity within Green Skills pipeline subjects including engineering and manufacturing disciplines.

2.6 Work with Adult Education providers and WMCA to grow sustainability awareness and leadership offering.

Ensuring that the opportunity for young people to acquire green skills, and to have visibility of green career options, is critical. We are looking to support teachers across primary, secondary, and post-16 learning to be better able to embed these opportunities within the provision. We also want to support careers advisors to ensure that they can give young people the most appropriate advice and signposting possible.

The Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Labour Market Intelligence (LMI) D2N2 brought together young people and employers to set up the Young People’s Green Growth Assembly. The Assembly conducted a survey of young people to establish if they knew what green skills and green jobs are and whether they wanted to pursue a career which protected the environment and wanted their future employers to have a track record of being environmentally friendly. The purpose of the Assembly is to raise the awareness of young people about green jobs and career prospects with local employers with an interactive website promoting opportunities as they arise. Coventry should look to set up a similar arrangement in partnership with our Strategic Energy Partner E.ON and others.

Teachers

The Department for Education’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sustainability-and-climate-change-strategy/9317e6ed-6c80-4eb9-be6d-3fcb1f232f3a#the-challenge-and-the-opportunity] identifies a joint responsibility with the education sector for preparing children and young people for the challenges and opportunities they will face “to develop a broad understanding of the importance of nature, sustainability and the causes and impact of climate change and to translate this knowledge into positive action and solutions.”

There is a major commitment to the training and development of teachers at all levels in carbon literacy and best practice for sustainable management as well as cross curricular teaching as part of the drive to deliver “Excellence in education and skills for a changing world: preparing all young people for a world impacted by climate change through learning and practical experience.”

Coventry City Council is currently identifying the core competencies required for teachers to lead sustainability initiatives across the school estate and functions. These teachers will oversee the integration of sustainability and climate change education throughout the curriculum. Students will not only learn about the importance of climate change and the science behind it, but they will also be inspired by their school's proactive approach to addressing these issues. Lead teachers will ensure their schools set the highest standards in energy and environmental management within their buildings and estate. Schools will be managed to reduce carbon emissions and to adapt and be resilient to the effects of climate change.

Case Study 1: E.ON Schools Partnership

As part of Coventry’s Strategic Energy Partnership, E.ON jointly with the Council are running an education programme in schools starting with a pilot of 6 Primary Schools in the City to just under 400 children.

The programme consists of a one-day workshop targeted at upper key stage two children, which explores how renewable technology can be used to generate energy and have a positive impact on the environment. The workshop considers how different types of energy are used around the home and links are made to the impacts that wasting energy is having on our environment. Through a collaborative approach, learners seek potential solutions and look for innovative ways to reduce our carbon footprint by becoming more energy efficient. Learning, gained knowledge and prior experiences are applied through a task to design a school of the future, focused on the use of renewable technologies.

Learning aims:

• To identify and discuss a range of energy sources and uses.
• To understand and identify savings and efficiency relating to energy use.
• To explore new ways of achieving energy efficiency and environmentally friendly ways of producing energy using renewable technology.
• The sessions will also discuss application of skills / career pathways - How can the skills used as part of our learning be used in the future? It is hoped that this element of the workshop will appeal to the KS2 (Y5 & Y6) children and get them thinking about jobs of the future.

School career leads

A survey in February 2024 of Coventry School Careers Leads revealed that a significant proportion lacked confidence in defining what a green career was and explaining to students how their current learning connected with green careers. In addition, Schools Careers Leads wanted to develop more confidence in explaining relevant green skills related qualifications to students and in exploring Coventry’s green growth sectors such as EV production and maintenance and home retrofit.

The majority of Coventry Schools Careers Leads indicated they were keen to attend training which will widen their knowledge and improve the quality of Information Advice and Guidance provided to Coventry school students around sustainability skills associated with green jobs and careers.

Case Study 2: St Augustine’s School Retrofit Design Project

‘Act On Energy,’ The University of Warwick’s Behavioural Economics Department and Coventry City Council developed a hands-on practical experience programme on the science subject of ‘insulation’ for Year 5 children in the school.  

The programme was designed in such a way to engage the children’s parents in the subject which related to understanding its importance for the application of science innovation and design to address energy conservation in the home. It provides a direct link to the importance of applying retrofit technologies to reduce fuel bills and increased understanding of the importance of such work.

The children had the opportunity to show off their innovative designs for improving energy efficiency in their homes through the use of demonstration models. The activities demonstrated a real example of a directly relevant growth to the families present which may provide an interesting career opportunity for some in the future.

The information gathered from this pilot will inform the approach for different target groups and helped to identify the key barriers to take up of funding for tenants of private sector landlords in particular and the key motivations for take up of grants for tenants in social housing in an area where over 95 residents in the Radford area benefited from SHDF 1 grants.

16 - 18 provision

Analysis led by Fircroft College, funded through the West Midlands and Warwickshire Local Skills Improvement Plan’s (LSIP) - Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF) considered the number of learners studying ‘Green Related Pipeline’ subject areas. This shows that the West Midlands has 1112 learners per 100,000 studying ‘Green Related’ areas. This is a higher proportion than 5 other UK regions but trails the East Midlands and the North-West and significantly the North-East which has 2736 learners per 100,000. The analysis does show however that Coventry has the fifth highest proportion of learners in ‘Green Related’ areas in the West Midlands Region.

Fircroft’s analysis also shows that male learners overwhelmingly undertake ‘Green Related’ learning – 93%. This is in large part due to the prevalence of male learners in subjects such as engineering and mechanics. We need to work with our FE Providers to widen what is currently considered to be ‘Green Related’ pipeline. In addition, work both with FE Providers and through school’s careers activity to increase the attractiveness of engineering and manufacturing disciplines for female learners. This will include increasing of engagement of industry in schools particularly focusing on engaging female learners in the engineering and manufacturing disciplines.

Higher and Adult Education

The role of Higher and Adult Education is critical in ensuring that those who are already employed can access training to transition into greener roles as well as supporting currently unemployed or economically inactive adults to enter the labour market in Green Skills roles. Providers across Coventry have a range of different courses to meet the needs of those who need to up-skill or re-skill. Recently Coventry College has introduced a boot camp training programme for sustainability and carbon literacy skills for managers which is free to individuals or at a subsidised rate for businesses providing that at the end of the training the trainees have amended job descriptions and job roles with a remit to also address sustainability management issues.  The first course was majorly oversubscribed with three times as many applicants as places, clearly demonstrating the demand for such training and skills development.

There are some current courses focusing on sustainability awareness and leadership, but this is an area we will work with Adult Education providers to grow.

Coventry City Council Outdoor Education Service

CCC’s Outdoor Education Service are now providers of various LANTRA courses. LANTRA is the national skills body which supports the veterinary and land-based practices with the setting of skills training. The Outdoor Education Service deliver a range of post 16 qualifications based around the City & Guilds Trees and Timber Management at Level 2 and Level 3. They cover all of the essential skills and knowledge for a career in forestry and arboriculture including; forestry establishment and maintenance, forestry harvesting, forestry green wood trades, forestry social and Arboriculture.  Students can also study with these courses whilst on apprenticeships with Level 2 for those people with a basic knowledge and Level 3 for those who are more experienced and want to prepare for higher level training.

Coventry Climate Change Board – Work on Resident Behavioural Change:

The City's Independent Climate Change Board in supporting community led action for addressing sustainability issues notably the establishment of social enterprises to promote re-use and repair of goods and services, development of renewable technologies within community buildings and the development of horticultural skills to convert areas of neglected open space into community gardens and food growing areas.   A sizeable 5 year programme linking with training provision to give community representatives the skills required to make meaningful community led changes.

Case Study 3: WMG University of Warwick – Electrification Short Courses

WMG Skills Centre, at the University of Warwick, provide a range of short courses designed to support those employed in sectors impacted by electrification. These courses help workers to transition into roles working with batteries, power electronics, motors, and electric drives. Working with employers to identify the needs of their workforce, WMG provide solutions either through delivery of their own courses or in partnership with other providers across the region. Short courses run by WMG are accessed by hundreds of learners each year and have been critical in the transition of the workforce in some of the area’s largest employers.

Section 3 - Green Skills for Business

Key Actions and Recommendations

3.1 Ensure Coventry and Warwickshire Business Support Advisors have the knowledge and skills to provide high quality advice about green skills to businesses.

3.2 Collaborate with our local employer base, Regional and National Skills agencies to ensure right mix of green/green related Apprenticeship Standards.

3.3 Work with WMCA to ensure right mix of green/green related Adult Skills Courses.

The Office for National Statistics has defined a set of sectors that are crucial to the low carbon and renewable energy sectors. If your economic activity is related to at least one of the areas identified in the table below then your business is already directly contributing to the green economy. The table is also useful to show how businesses can transition into these sectors or could work to become part of the associated supply chain.

Table adapted from the ONS LCREE sectors and descriptors.

The West Midlands Net Zero Future Skills Report written by Coventry University in partnership with WMCA and Clean Futures utilises the Beauhurst database of growth companies. In 2023 the Beauhurts Database added ESG signals to their proprietary database to allow subscribers to find those companies that hit environmental targets. The four generated based on a company’s activities are Clean and renewable energy, green transport, Sustainable agriculture, and green infrastructure. Definitions of these are in the below table.

According to this database Coventry has 169 companies with an environmental signal. There are 1060 companies in the West Midlands Combined Authority Area with a total turnover of approx. £66.0b (£489m average turnover) and on average 181 estimated average employees. This shows Coventry has a significant base of existing ‘environmental’ focused business activity on which to build.

In terms of considering work with the wider business base a 2023 Whitecap Consulting Employer Skills Report found that 60% of respondents in the construction industry believed that sustainability capabilities featured in their top three future skills that would be pivotal for their organisations to achieve their long-term strategic aims. In engineering, this fell to 38% with a balance between the extent to which employers felt that green skills were currently required to deliver their core services. Within the digital and IT sector only 10% of respondents felt that green skills were currently required.

Across the research conducted, there are two key emerging themes. Firstly, employers recognise that their organisations need to become more sustainable but do not view this as having a direct impact on the skills that their employees need. Secondly, whilst current needs are modest, they anticipate this as growing in the future. There is a clear need for businesses to be better supported in understanding the role of skills in realising their organisational goals. This can be achieved through ensuring Coventry and Warwickshire business advisors have full confidence in providing green skills advice and support to businesses. Business in the Community (BiTC) have launched its first action-learning programme to help address the green skills gap and support businesses by developing actionable plans that define the necessary culture and competencies for driving a just transition. Over the course of five workshops, participants explored how the future workforce needs will differ from the present, discussed organisational challenges, and tested new approaches. This has informed a blueprint [https://www.bitc.org.uk/toolkit/green-skills-lab-blueprint/] which provides a short concise summary of the steps businesses can take to build the skills needed to accelerate net zero and climate resilience:  This blueprint will be a key tool for Coventry and Warwickshire Business Advisors to use.

Current relevant Adult Skills provision is mapped in Section 2 of this report. The LSIF Fircroft College report shows the West Midlands is leading the way in green related Adult Skills courses with a rate of 18 per 100,000, totalling more than England's other 8 regions combined. We need to work collectively with WMCA to build on existing offer and ensure that Adult Skills provision in this area meets emerging business needs.

Apprenticeships will be key for businesses in providing the right green skills for their existing workforce as well as recruiting new apprentices. The Institute of Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE soon to be replaced by Skills England) have created new Occupational Maps which identify ‘Green Themes’ and map occupations to these themes. They have categorised these as ‘Mid Green occupations – remaining the same in overall scope but may need new knowledge, skills and behaviours to be embedded to enable the use of new technologies and approaches and ‘Dark Green’ occupations, for example wind turbine engineer, which is embedded within the green occupational landscape and delivering sustainable outcomes.  According to IfATE there are 49 Dark Green Apprenticeship Standards which fall into the sectors and occupations shown in the below visual:

Dark Green - Occupational map

There are currently 420 ‘Mid Green’ occupation apprenticeship standards The highest apprenticeship occupation area overall is engineering and manufacturing with 244 ‘Mid Green’ apprenticeship standards, followed by Construction with 91 ‘Mid Green’ standards. The below visual shows the sectors with ‘Mid Green’ occupation apprenticeship standards with the size of the circle and the number showing the number of occupations that fall within each sector.

Manufacturing and engineering

Current engineering and manufacturing apprenticeship standards cover a wide range of engineering and manufacturing disciplines including rail, automotive, aerospace, maritime and material processes - all of which will need to increasingly transition to greener technologies and methods of production requiring new skills to be embedded. Moving forward we need to work with IfATE/Skills England to ensure the right mix of apprenticeship standards for EV and related.

Energy and construction

There is a current focus on nuclear technologies, although there are existing standards in metal recycling and standard in development on heat network maintenance which is an area Coventry is looking to develop in partnership with EON. There are some standards focused on smart meter installation and low carbon heating and energy consultancy. We need to collaborate with our local employers and IfATE/Skills England to develop new standards to meet a wider range of retrofit needs including solar, and heat pump installation.

Agriculture, environmental and animal care

This is the sector with the most ‘Dark Green’ standards at 22. These cover key areas such as water environment, ecology and horticulture and we need to ensure our local employer base is fully utilising these standards to provide the skills to best protect and sustain our local environment.  Warwickshire Wildlife Trust delivers and assesses the City & Guilds diploma in work-based Environmental Conservation (0070) usually as part of a 1-year paid traineeship for what is usually two trainees each year. The trust are also looking into delivering an AIM Level 1 weeklong course.

In addition to apprenticeships, Skills Bootcamps provide businesses with key skills at RQF LV3. Skills Bootcamps are short courses co-designed with businesses which either allow businesses to upskill their existing workforce or to support bespoke training for potential new hires. There is a growing offer of green related Skills Bootcamps across Coventry and Warwickshire provided by FE Colleges and Independent Training Providers.

Case Study 4: Coventry College  – Retrofit Skills Bootcamps for Adult Learners 

Coventry College has been working in partnership with Dyson Energy Services Ltd & Westdale Midlands Ltd since December 2022, supporting adults from the Coventry area onto Insulation Skills Bootcamps. This aligns with Government policy to decarbonize across all sectors and with Coventry City Council’s approach to up-skilling local adults onto Green Skills to support with the decarbonisation of Citizen Housing tenanted properties.

In 2023/2024 - four bootcamps were delivered at Coventry College’s campus. The courses for four weeks included a 1-day placement based with Westdale Midland’s Training Centre for adult learners to gain first – hand experience of the skills required to fulfil the role of an insulation technician. All learners are offered a guaranteed interview with the company to progress onto their dedicated Training programme and an opportunity for future employment upon successful completion of the course. The Skills Bootcamp is designed to educate learners on a range of insulation installation techniques; including rendering & External Wall Insulation (EWI), to support Westdale Midlands Ltd with the refurbishment of tenanted properties supported via the Social Housing Decarbonisation fund.

Coventry College works in partnership with several local referral agencies - including Coventry Job Centre Plus, Coventry Job Shop & the National Careers Service, to promote & support with recruitment. To date, over 70 adults have received the training - with a further 4 Insulation Skills Bootcamps planned for the new academic year 2024-25.

Case Study 5: Coventry University - Hyperbat Ltd Battery Pack Production in Coventry

Launched in 2019, Hyperbat brings together Fortescue Zero’s expertise in electrification engineering and innovation, with Unipart Manufacturing's process and quality excellence in automotive and industrial manufacturing. The site in Coventry manufactures high-performance battery packs for UK customers. With the move to electrification, Unipart has taken a leading role in setting up an industrial facility in the heartland of the UK’s automotive industry.

Hyperbat employs almost 50 highly skilled battery production and assembly Team Members. Employees range from newly trained apprentices to upskilled mechanical and electrical engineers working on cell-to-module and module-to-pack assembly lines. The facility boasts a unique laser welding capability for volume production, a dedicated battery performance testing facility and IATF accreditation, providing an automotive quality focus to the work.

With the shortage in ready-made trained skills, Unipart works closely with the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering (AME) to build the talent pool required for the electrified automotive sector. The AME has been integral to the pipeline of Hyperbat talent. This collaboration has enabled the taking of industry-ready graduates, moving them to core engineering roles within battery pack production. The design of the AME course enables talent to take a role in Hyperbat, with a seamless transition from university into industry.

The Warwickshire and West Midlands Green Business Network

The Green Business Network is free to join and has over 3,000 businesses, social enterprises, and charities in its membership. The Network provides the opportunity for businesses to share their practical experiences in delivering environmental and green sustainability initiatives for improving efficiencies in the use of energy and resources and minimisation of waste and emissions.

The Network produces monthly e. Newsletters which includes news, articles, and case studies from its members, and it organises events and webinars and produces podcasts raising the knowledge and awareness of employees and business owners about how to deliver goals relating to sustainability and climate change.

We will continue to utilise the Green Business Network to provide businesses with key information on green skills developments. This includes engaging the voluntary sector to support a range of activities across Coventry and Warwickshire to encourage behaviour change for Coventry residents.

Section 4 - A Just Transition

Key Actions and Recommendations

4.1 Identify all those current trades and work practices which are related or dependent upon the use of fossil fuels where future job prospects may be at risk as a consequence of the transition.

4.2 Establish training programmes that can reskill the existing workforce with green skills so that they are able to adapt to the low carbon / net zero alternatives.

4.3 Support the development of social enterprises which promote zero carbon initiatives which benefit low income and vulnerable households and communities whilst providing accessible entry level practical work experience and training for the development of green skills and practical work experience.

When the coalfields were closed in response to the use of natural gas as a cleaner fuel source for electricity generation and heating homes thousands of people working within the mining industry lost their jobs and no transition of skills was identified for the workforce with significant socio-economic impacts upon the worst affected communities. There is a need to ensure that as we phase out the use of fossil fuels that people currently working within those industries are not adversely affected by the transition and that alternative transferable skills are identified and new skills provided to benefit from the newly emerging low/zero carbon alternatives as they come on stream.

Coventry’s Independent Climate Change Board commissioned a Mapping a Just Transition Report for the City [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/43246/mapping-just-transition-initiatives-at-the-city-level-a-rapid-research-report-for-coventry-climate-change-board-by-julia-slay-december-2023] and more recently the Board’s 25 member organisations signed up to eight key principles for ensuring a just transition. Of particular note is the following principle...

“Workers in the City will be supported in training/re-training for a greener future and the unemployed will be trained and supported to seize the job opportunities created by the newly emerging green technologies”

Other professions and trades are facing change as we move from fossil fuel (e.g. petrol, diesel, and natural gas) dependent technologies to Hydrogen and green electricity. For example, mechanics servicing internal combustion engine vehicles will be moving to electric motors powered by rechargeable batteries or hydrogen fuelled engines. Heating engineers will be moving from gas fuelled boilers to electrical heat exchange systems etc.

The age demographic of motor mechanics is getting older as younger people are not attracted to the profession a problem which is likely to be exacerbated when there is a shift to Electric Vehicles. The Social Market Foundation (2022) report that a number of the older generation motor mechanics for example will retire leaving a younger workforce with fewer mentors with an ability and experience in the maintenance of electric vehicles managing a business and quality service for clients.   

The Government recognises the need to promote careers in motor vehicle maintenance as we are witnessing a growing skills shortage. National Grid refers to the loss of existing talent due to a baby boomer retirement crunch.

Section 5 - Future Skills/Skills for Investment

Key Actions and Recommendations 

5.1 Ensure the Investment Zone and wider skills funds are best shaped to support Greenpower Park and the related electric vehicle/battery development investment.

5.2 Coventry City Council and partners to use purchasing power when procuring goods and services. Encouraging service providers and contractors to employ apprentices and provide Green Skills training.

5.3 Ensure the skills system can flexibly respond to emerging energy sector needs, informed by Coventry’s ‘Energy Plan’.

We have ambition to build a local skills ecosystem that is agile and responsive to investor needs. We will ensure we build on partnerships between Coventry City Council and our Higher, Further and Adult Education partners, engaging with key sectors and industries in the region and those working in the business support ecosystem and working together to realise our collective ambition for a thriving green economy in the region.

Coventry and the West Midlands have a clear competitive advantage in electric vehicle and battery production. (Location Quotient 8.47) over other areas of the UK, with the planned Coventry and Warwickshire Greenpower Park Investment Zone site presenting a unique opportunity for attracting new major investment. The Investment Zone’s targeted supply chain and R&D programmes will be crucial in enabling local Advanced Manufacturing SMEs to “pivot” and service growing global market opportunities (projected to quadruple to £823bn by 2030). We will work to ensure Investment Zone and wider skills funds are used to support this investment, with the Greenpower Park expected to create up to 6000 jobs alone.

The City Council and its partners will need to use their purchasing power when procuring goods and services to encourage service providers and contractors to employ apprentices and provide on the job training. IEMA’s ‘A Blueprint for a Green Workforce identifies the fundamental barriers to the development of Green Skills and gives lots of practical examples of what public bodies and private companies can achieve to develop the green skills within their workforce and to provide opportunities for people wishing to upskill or re-train. 

We will need to be receptive to changes in legislation and government initiatives, rules and regulations which can drive changes in the way services are delivered or goods manufactured all of which will in turn place a demand on certain key green skills for the future. 

For example, the Government’s drive for the development of heat networks will have significant impacts upon the market and the future installation of new technologies to scale across the Country as well as creating new regulatory roles to shape and inform their future delivery.  Local Authorities across the land will be in search of energy professionals Heat Network Zone Co-ordinators with knowledge and expertise in the development, management and delivery of heat networks and district heating schemes as well as the extensive use of heat exchange systems elsewhere. The companies providing the heat networks will also require professionals with similar skills.

Coventry City Council have worked together with E.ON and Mott MacDonald on the ‘Coventry Energy Plan.’ This collaborative study explored various scenarios to accelerate local carbon emission reduction, increase energy security and stimulate innovation, pilots and local job creation through projects that directly deliver net zero investment or actions that benefit Coventry. The Energy Plan found that under a maximum ambition scenario, by 2038 Coventry city could create an estimated 2,000 full-time employment opportunities to 2038 (30,000 years of jobs equivalent to 2,000 per year over 15 years), especially through local supply chains. These jobs are predominantly driven by assumed high levels of investment in deep retrofit of buildings for businesses and residents. Whilst building retrofit is challenging, it drives a lot of benefit including wider positive benefits through employment opportunities.

We will need to anticipate such changes in the market and assess the likely skills needed, establishing the likely sources of people with related skills and the nature of additional skills for which the training is needed. We will need to identify the organisations with the ability to support the development of those skills and the provision apprenticeships. 

References

• Business in the Community: Green Skills Lab Blueprint [https://www.bitc.org.uk/toolkit/green-skills-lab-blueprint/]
• C40 Cities and Circle Economy (2024) Global Good Green Jobs in C40 Cities - Factsheet (1).pdf [file:///C:/Users/CVBRE408/Downloads/C40%20Cities%20and%20Circle%20Economy%20(2024)%20Global%20Good%20Green%20Jobs%20in%20C40%20Cities%20-%20Factsheet%20(1).pdf]
• Climate Change Committee. (2023). A Net Zero workforce [https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/a-net-zero-workforce/]  
• Department for Education (DfE). (Dec 2023). Sustainability and climate change: a strategy for the education and children’s services systems Dec 2023 [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sustainability-and-climate-change-strategy/9317e6ed-6c80-4eb9-be6d-3fcb1f232f3a#the-challenge-and-the-opportunity]
• Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNEZ) and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS). (Nov 2020). The Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, HM Government. [https://livewarwickac-my.sharepoint.com/personal/u1571938_live_warwick_ac_uk/Documents/Green%20Skills%20Report%20Headings%20and%20Structure%20WARWICK%20SAVE.docx] [https://www.smf.co.uk/publications/a-vehicle-for-change/]
• Deloitte & Institute for Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA). (2022). A Blueprint for green workforce transformation [https://www.smf.co.uk/publications/a-vehicle-for-change/]
• Green Jobs Task Force (2022). Report Government Industry & Skills Sector, HM Government [https://www.smf.co.uk/publications/a-vehicle-for-change/]
• Institute for Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA). Sustainability Skills Map & competency profile [https://www.iema.net/sustainability-skills-map/]
• Kite Insights. (2022). Every job is a climate job Why corporate transformation needs climate literacy [https://kiteinsights.com/climate-literacy-corporate-transformation]
• Net Zero Future Skills, Coventry University. Publish date: January 17 2025 [https://www.ciwm.co.uk/ciwm/news/2024/ciwm_esa_and_groundwork_collaborate_on_survey_to_drive_uk_environmental_strategies.aspx]
• The National Environmental Services, Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), Environmental Services Association (ESA), and Groundwork Survey. (2024) [https://www.ciwm.co.uk/ciwm/news/2024/ciwm_esa_and_groundwork_collaborate_on_survey_to_drive_uk_environmental_strategies.aspx]
• National Grid. Building the Net Zero Energy Workforce [https://www.nationalgrid.com/stories/journey-to-net-zero/net-zero-energy-workforce]
• Norman, A. (2022). A Vehicle for change Upskilling the UK’s technicians to service and repair electric vehicle, Social Market Foundation [https://www.smf.co.uk/publications/a-vehicle-for-change/]
• Tracking global good green jobs in cities [https://www.c40knowledgehub.org/s/article/Tracking-global-good-green-jobs-in-cities?language=en_US]
• UK Parliament POSTnote 711. (2024). Green skills in education and employment [https://post.parliament.uk/research-briefings/post-pn-0711/]
• Whitecap Consulting. (2023). WMWSkills, West Midlands and Warwickshire, Your Business is Our Business, Employer Skills Report. [https://skillswmw.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SKILLSWMW_WhiteCap_Research-Report_Web.pdf]