Students go higher in green skills
Green Skills is arguably one of the most important sectors for the next generation.
In 2021, over 4,500 online job postings in West Yorkshire required ‘green skills’.
This number is anticipated to increase over coming years and covers diverse roles including electricians, climate change advisors, and transport planners.
It is important that young people are made aware of the range of diverse and exciting careers that are available within the sector and how they can make a difference.
Along side partners at Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY) we collaborated to deliver a Go Higher in Green Skills event for Year 7 and 8 students from four schools across the region to inspire and develop their knowledge of the opportunities in this sector.
Practical workshops
Hosted at Bradley Wood Activity Centre in Brighouse, this interactive event was supported and delivered by a range of professionals including cosmetics company Lush, energy services specialists Equans, and a PhD student in Medical Engineering at the University of Leeds.
50 students took part in three diverse employer and Higher Education-led workshops that explored careers within the Green Skills sector, practical skills and pathways.
Activities included:
- Exploring different engineering careers through a hands-on ‘Great Leeds Build Off’. This encouraged teamwork as students competed to follow a blueprint to construct a building using wooden blocks.
- Creating a colourful bath-bomb while discovering how key ingredients were sustainably sourced, and how materials are kept from landfill. This introduced students to a diverse range of careers, from sales to the supply chain.
- Turning a single-use plastic bottle into a mini greenhouse as part of a wider discussion about the transition to green energy. This focused on careers available within retrofitting, including heat pump installation and engineers.
Increased knowledge and awareness
Feedback from the learners has shown the event improved their knowledge of the sector and highlighted the breadth of opportunities it has to offer. One student said: “I never knew how many jobs used green skills.” Another added: “It is not all about getting dirty. You can also stay in an office and make a change [to the environment].”
Learners were more likely to consider how green skills might be a part of their future career and the number of learners who said their understanding of what it is like to work in the Green Skills sector also increased from 15% before the event to 61% after.
Speaking about why events such as this are important to the sector, Courtney Ward, Social Value Officer at Equans, said:
“The shortage of people working in sustainability is a mammoth task. We want to encourage the next generation to consider jobs in sustainability and particularly in retrofit.”
Anna Oviedo, Sales Assistant at Lush, said that events of this nature,
“give young people a different perspective on environmental materials and their impact on people. It gives them insight into a bath-bomb and what goes into it, as well as what can be studied and careers.”
Partnership events
GHWY and West Yorkshire Combined Authority worked in partnership to deliver four Go Higher In events in 2023-24. In addition to green skills, these focused on the growing industry sectors of Digital and& Artificial Intelligence, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), and Health and Social Care.
Guided by Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs), they provided students with high quality and meaningful experiences of the workplace. They also offered insights into progression pathways, employer interactions, and real-life skills development.
The series of events demonstrated the importance of strategic partnership and collaborative working, aiming to connect careers provision in schools and colleges to the needs of local economies.
If you would like to offer young people experiences of the work place, sign up to the West Yorkshire Careers Portal. A platform where local employers and schools and colleges can connect and offer experiences to young people.