Green Industries Wales, the independent collaboration and discovery network for the green economy in Wales, has announced its inaugural Hybrid Skills Council meeting, bringing together Wales’ leading organisations and individuals focused on the green skills agenda.
Aligned to Green Industries Wales’ core objective, this first session will take place 10am on Friday 1st October, with a focus on connecting organisations and individuals to shine the spotlight on existing green skills-based projects, ventures and schemes across Wales – identifying collective challenges and opportunities, exploring areas for knowledge share and collaboration.
With most industry and government experts predicting decarbonisation targets being met through a blended solution of energies – harnessing the power of Biomass, Carbon Capture, Geothermal, Fuel Pumps, Fusion, Hydro, Hydrogen, Solar, Tidal and Wind technologies – question marks remain on the skills and competencies needed to give Wales a future-proofed talent pipeline capable of enabling this green transformation.
Chair of Green Industries Wales, former First Minister Carwyn Jones commented:
“Some people believe that we are in need of fundamental new skill sets, while others in the field believe that with innovation and collaboration we can evolve quickly from the skillsets we already have. Either way, we clearly have skill gaps and disconnects; and we need to work together to create a resilient talent pipeline if Wales is to deliver on decarbonisation.
“If we do that, we can grasp the phenomenal opportunities that the forthcoming green revolution offers us in terms of well-trained, highly-paid, sustainable employment for communities right across Wales – helping build inclusive prosperity and attracting the kind of inward investment that can make us a genuine world-leader and even an exporter of green technologies and solutions.”
The timing of the inaugural Green Skills Council in October could not come at a more pertinent time, following last month’s UN Climate Change Report by the IPCC signalling “code red for humanity” – and ahead of the COP26 Conference in November, which will bring together the nations of the world to work towards common decarbonisation targets.
With major Welsh-based employers such as Airbus, BOC, Costain, DOW, Dwr Cymru and Wales & West Utilities working increasingly closely with academia to find the right way forward in terms of both the energy and human resource – and with government working at all levels to establish a common approach to the future of energy in Wales – the initial findings from this first Hybrid Green Skills Council are sure to inform both debate and action plans, as industry and education begins to shape workforce planning for a Green Wales.
To find out more or participate in this first event contact [email protected]
