Climate skills gap solutions for organizations

𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀. And the numbers for both are big. A new flagship report from WRI and partners estimates that a well managed climate transition could generate around 375 million net new jobs over the next decade in energy, construction, manufacturing, and agriculture, equivalent to about 10 percent of global employment. At the same time, the transition will churn roughly 630 million jobs as roles are created, destroyed, or fundamentally reshaped, affecting close to one in five workers worldwide. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗜 𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀? The report contrasts climate action with other megatrends. Technological disruption and geoeconomic fragmentation are likely to have net negative employment effects in the near term. By contrast, decarbonisation has a clearly positive net jobs effect if leaders invest in people. Climate action is one of the few levers that can put more jobs back into the system than it takes out. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵? The binding constraint is not capital or hardware. It is skills. Labour shortages are already holding back the energy transition in key markets. A simulation for the report shows that just a 14 percent shortfall in renewable energy workers (around 6 million workers by 2030), will lead to a delay in renewable capacity adding around 0.7°C of warming by 2100 compared with today’s national policies. That is an enormous climate penalty for a relatively small workforce gap. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗿. Used well, AI can accelerate skills formation instead of simply automating work out of the system. The report calls for workforce intelligence systems that use real time data and AI to anticipate where jobs will be created, which occupations are at risk, and which skills are emerging. It highlights the need for agile, modular training systems, smart accreditation, and job matching platforms that recognise informal learning and connect workers into new green roles quickly. 𝗠𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 Most governments and firms still treat AI policy and climate policy as separate conversations. But both transitions are happening simultaneously and are deeply connected. If AI is deployed as skills infrastructure for the green transition, we could get faster decarbonisation, better jobs, and lower climate risk. The priority now is to hardwire jobs and skills into national transition plans and corporate strategies. Source: https://lnkd.in/eAMvhg8G #climatejobs #greeneconomy #skills #AI #energytransition #labourmarkets #humancapital ___________ 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥𝘐𝘯: Scott Kelly

The $100B Clean Energy Problem: We Can't Find People to Do the Work 💼 An alarming trend is emerging: Despite offering $80-120K starting salaries, clean energy companies can't fill critical positions. With the US pledging to build 550 million solar panels by 2030, this labor shortage could derail our climate goals. But here's the twist: The talent might already be here. 1. The Current Approach Isn't Working • Companies fighting over same small pool of experts • Traditional "green" degrees often irrelevant • 6-12 month position vacancies becoming normal • Projects delayed due to staffing shortages 2. The Hidden Workforce • Sales pros already know how to sell (just different products) • Project managers can manage any project • Engineers can learn new applications • Finance experts understand numbers (carbon or dollars) 3. The Smarter Path Forward • Top performers learning carbon accounting in weeks • Former flight attendants now leading sustainability teams • Tech workers transitioning to cleantech sales • Internal training beating external recruiting Here's the key insight: While companies chase unicorn candidates with perfect green credentials, they're missing out on skilled workers who could be trained for these roles in months, not years. Question for leaders: What skills from your current industry could transfer to clean energy? Are we overthinking the "experience required"? #CleanEnergyJobs #WorkforceDevelopment #GreenEconomy

Energy transition has taken center stage in the Indian power sector, with a major focus on sustainability. To ensure sustainability, utilities are embracing new technologies, digital solutions, innovations, and more. Delivering and operating these solutions requires a significant amount of skilled manpower, which is currently lacking in the sector. I frequently meet industry experts, organizational heads, and CXOs of system integrators to discuss this issue. The common challenge I have identified is the availability of a skilled workforce capable of delivering such solutions. In my view, the government should appoint an agency as a nodal body to run skill development programs in the sector at the Diploma and ITI levels. Drawing inspiration from the UK's apprenticeship program, where Utilita Energy and Cheshire College South and West have launched a new-style smart metering apprenticeship, we can develop a similar initiative in India. In the UK program, apprentices receive classroom-based learning at the 11,000-student college and gain hands-on experience within the on-site ‘Sustainable House.’ This facility allows students to work in a real-life setting without being in a real home. Sponsored by Utilita, the Sustainable House is equipped with the latest sustainable technologies, such as ground source heat pumps and photovoltaic solar panels. The academy can upskill thousands of engineers from any organization each year to address the green skills gap. In India, we have very limited training centers for power sector apprenticeships, and they are often inadequately equipped with new technologies or digital interventions. We need to move quickly in this area, and every discom should take ownership of developing one or two advanced training centers to nurture a future-ready workforce.

Across the country, emerging partnerships like those led by The Industrial Commons, Hampton Roads Workforce Council, Lyra, Portland General Electric, and Greater New Orleans Foundation are poised to support #workers in accessing quality green jobs, help #employers bridge skill gaps through accessible training opportunities, and demonstrate how building the green workforce will boost quality jobs for people facing systemic barriers to advancement. In Forbes, I shares stories of these leaders and four strategies that all regions can adopt to foster a vibrant green economy that benefits employers, workers, and everyone affected by a changing climate. They are: 1️⃣ Expand the Definition of Green Skills and Green Industries 2️⃣ Promote Early Exposure to Green Skills and Green Pathways 3️⃣ Increase Access to Training for Workers Facing Systemic Barriers 4️⃣ Tailor Awareness and Messaging Read more below. #climateresilience #qualityjobs #greenjobs Jobs for the Future (JFF)

This is what hiring trends in sustainability for 2026 tell me: We're creating roles faster than we're creating the people to fill them. This is what I learnt from the the hiring trends in sustainability for 2026 → 690,900 UK green jobs in 2023, up 34.6% since 2015 → Over half of green hires now hold non-green job titles → Financial services green hiring up 16.3% globally in one year The trend that stood out to me is that 47% of employers face serious AI skills shortages Across companies I’ve seen that the rise of AI can accelerate sustainability outcomes. But only when the person using it actually understands green skills because without that, you're just automating the wrong decisions faster. This article also highlights key actions for employers to close the capability gap: 1. Stop waiting for ready-made talent. Partner with universities and industry bodies now to build real pipelines into the roles you need. 2. Make sustainability everyone's job. Embed emissions, circularity, and nature risks into procurement, finance, ops, and product from the start. 3. Hire for potential, upskill for specifics. Adjacent skills plus rapid certifications in reporting, energy management, and ecology get you further than a perfect CV. 4. Work with people who know this space. A trusted talent partner finds candidates a generic job post never will. As I keep on preaching, sustainability is no longer a specialist function sitting in one corner of the business. It's is becoming embedded in procurement, finance, operations, and tech. That makes the skills gap every business's problem Not just sustainability's. The organisations closing that gap now are building real competitive advantage. The ones waiting are falling behind. At Sustained Futures, we're working with the organisations who've decided that's them.

The climate transition isn't just about technology; it's about Talent. Research shows the demand for green skills is growing nearly twice as fast as the supply of workers who possess them. This "Green Skills Gap" is one of the most significant risks to achieving corporate net-zero targets and ESG mandates. Green Hiring is no longer an HR buzzword—it's a CEO priority. How do we bridge the gap? It starts with a comprehensive strategy: Define Green Skills Broadly: It's not just for Sustainability Managers. Every role, from finance (ESG reporting) to engineering (energy efficiency), needs an embedded layer of environmental awareness. Look for Transferable Skills: Candidates with strong systems thinking, data literacy, and change management experience are often the fastest to adopt new green competencies. Invest in Green Training: We must upskill our current workforce through continuous, practical training on energy conservation, waste management, and sustainable supply chain practices. Are you treating your workforce as a core part of your sustainability strategy? Let's discuss how we can accelerate the development of a future-ready, green workforce. 👇 #GreenHiring #ESG #Sustainability #FutureOfWork #TalentAcquisition