Our climate is changing. That is beyond any doubt, and the impacts are now being felt around the world including here in County Durham; we all have a responsibility as individuals and organisations to reduce our emissions as quickly as we can. However, without the skills required we will not achieve our climate targets.
What can businesses do?
Many businesses recognise that there are benefits to ‘going green’; for example, lowering your energy bills through energy efficiency and promoting your green credentials to boost your reputation. However, many lack the green skills required to make meaningful changes. The Skills Network defined green skills as “skills that are needed to support a sustainable society… they are increasingly being requested in job postings.”
In light of the demand for green skills, the Northeast Growth hub has developed a series of courses to develop this skillset across the North East through their Skills Bootcamps. The boot camps offer free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks for adults aged over 19, who are either in work or recently unemployed. The boot camps offer the opportunity to gain skills to support progression within an existing workplace and self-employed individuals the skills to gain new business opportunities. For those out of work, Skills Bootcamps build up sector specific skills and offer a fast track to a guaranteed interview.
For example, learners on the ‘Solid Wall Insulation, EV Maintenance, Repair and Diagnostics of Heavy Vehicles’, will gain a Level 3 NVQ by improving their understanding of:
- health and safety
- customer care
- asbestos awareness
- the new standards framework
- installation of the energy saving system
This course helps either gain entry to the domestic retrofit market or helps those already participating to progress their career.
How much will it cost?
Skills Bootcamps are free to individuals, however if you are an employer referring your existing employees you will co-fund the training dependent on the size of your business (30% for large businesses, 10% for SMEs).
So, why not sign up today to upgrade your skills to tackle the climate emergency?
