Green Jobs & our readiness

‘Green Jobs’ is the most trending term we have heard recently while attending events around COP26 and climate action. Let’s deep dive into this fanciful job profile.

Let’s define green jobs

There are no overarching definitions, and it is fair to understand why. The need for these jobs and the skills that come with them are still getting defined by various global organisations, industry experts and governments. They are boggled with questions such as — Is it an additional layer of knowledge and mindset that needs to be applied to current roles? Can the workforce be upskilled to take on the roles falling under this green job category? Or is it completely new expertise required to work in this domain? Does it mean having a specialised set of know-how and learning? The shift within the economy has begun with many promises and commitments made during COP26, and in no time, the workforce will have to catch up with the demands of various sectors.

Broadly, green jobs are the economic activities or jobs aimed directly at protecting, preserving, or restoring the environment by minimising the impact of human activities.

International Labour Organization (ILO) defines green job roles as

• Increases efficient consumption of energy and raw materials
• Limits greenhouse gas emissions
• Minimises waste and contamination
• Protects and restores ecosystems
• Contributes to adaptation to climate change

Green jobs profiles range from highly skilled to entry-level jobs for example, Sustainability Engineer, Environmental lawyer, Solar Technician, Net Zero Finance Manager, and is spreading rapidly into all economic and social sectors. A good place to start looking for one is at the green job websites like Green Jobs, Environment Jobs

Salaries get better with expertise

Highly educated professionals with environmental degrees or vast experience working in the green sector fall in the high salary group. The candidates at the entry-level roles get wages comparable to their colleagues in the non-green roles. This career path has excellent prospects in store — if you want to earn and are keen to step up to make a positive impact on the planet, then this is the career path for you!

Future prospects & motivation

While phasing out non-renewable energy sources, jobs in many sectors will get hit hard. The upside is, the transition into renewable energy will create new jobs. It will call for upskilling and reskilling to meet the global demand of the workforce. All this sounds great, but what motivates people like you and me to take up this unconsidered future? What attracted both of us (Ana & Vinishree) to green entrepreneurship is that we are aware that the skills, education and experience we have at the moment will be necessary for the spectrum of green jobs tomorrow. We want to be at the right place at the right time to contribute to the planet on a more personal level pragmatically.

What is the education & training needed?

Moving forward, we will find exceedingly more education institutions incorporating green economy and sustainability concepts in their curriculum in all the academic fields for the youth. However, what is emerging as a critical requirement here is knowledge of ‘Circular Economy’ in most professions. Along with it, ‘Design’ is proving a catalyst driving the change within all sectors towards a greener economy.

Green Job Funding

The funding by the UK Government and finance sector is the genuine booster here. It can be accessed by SMEs to large organizations which either are creating green jobs or minimising the environmental impact by implementing net zero and circular economy strategies. We at Around Zero help businesses audit their business plans and align their company’s growth plan with the funding guidelines.

Are we — as the workforce — ready?

The answer is no! Yet, this is a period of transition, and while in transitions, things seem unclear, unplanned and then slowly starts shaping. We believe that the workforce still needs a little more nudge to take up greener roles in their jobs, and we at Around Zero are equipped to provide it to the people working within your company. We would love to hear your employer needs; write to us at hello@around-zero.com.

Ana Guerrero & Vinishree Verma co-authored this blog; both are co-founders of Around Zero.