Flash, I love you, but we only have fourteen hours to save the Earth!
Are you old enough to remember Flash Gordon? If not don’t worry but do think how long we’ve got to save the Earth!
Or least to avoid increasingly catastrophic weather events.
In the Autumn, I attended an International Green Skills conference subtitled skills for a changing world: How can skills support the transition to net zero?
Hosted at Imperial College’s South Kensington Campus on 28 September 2023, in partnership between the UK Government Department for Education and Times Higher Education.
We were lucky enough to hear from Gillian Keegan as well as speakers from the USA, African and Middle Eastern countries there were also contributions from a wide range of other organisations including the Prince’s Trust, BP, the CBI and Nat West. the International Green Skills Conference explored the challenges and opportunities that are coming to light with the development of green skills training and green career pathways. The conference brought together the key groups needed to meet these challenges and make the most of these opportunities: the further and higher education sectors, businesses, policymakers, young people, adult learners and international partners.
I got my ticket free as representing a business but also went with my career education hat on. What would I learn what can I do? It was an interesting day and I enjoyed hearing about many initiatives but in some ways, it reminded me of meeting friends in the Refectory when I was at university. People were always talking about things but we’d go We’d say ‘We’ve got to DO something ‘Which turned me into a student politician and leader of student and teacher activism for the next 20 years.
I haven’t been too active recently but the conference inspired me to think about what I can do, and how even our small business and our much larger profession of career professionals including career educators can help.
Personally, I own shares in small cooperative wind and solar farms to support sustainable energy. I keep my house thermostat down to save on fossil fuels and try to use public transport rather than drive when I travel to places.
Our company Complete Careers LLP has changed the way we assess the Quality in Careers Standard. We started to do the assessments onsite using remote technology during the Pandemic as a necessity but it has been so successful, we have continued to work this way we also more frequently deliver training online. This greener model saves both petrol /travel costs and is more user friendly by cutting working days and improving wellbeing.
Professionally for career development and career related learning all schools and colleges should be ensuring learners are now being made aware of the ‘new’ jobs and skills that will help to create the greener economy and move us to net zero.
The following website might be a good starting place https://www.greenjobs.co.uk/, https://www.environmentjob.co.uk/jobs
https://jobhelp.campaign.gov.uk/improve-your-chances-of-getting-a-job/green-jobs/
However, thinking about education in a broader sense there is also a much bigger green question of how the whole of English education can become greener. Subjects from primary need to include environmental education and knowledge of green jobs but also the idea that all jobs can have green elements and we can all contribute.
One suggestion I would make is to get rid of lots of paper! Exam question papers, exam answer papers, worksheets paper reports, letters home etc. Let’s use electronic communication and online exams more frequently in education and save a few trees and the processes required to turn them into paper. Let’s encourage learners to keep learning records online and use technology more to help them learn and plan for their future.
We’ve only got ……… to save the world. What are you and your colleagues, family and community doing to go green and save our planet.
https://www.timeshighered-events.com/green-skills-conference-2023/home further information about Conference available here.
Janet Hutchinson Ma PGCE MA
janet.hutchinson@complete-careers.com