HT Dialogues: Creating a green workforce today for tomorrow
A report by LinkedIn named Global Green Skills Report 2022, reveals that a majority of green skills that are used in jobs are not traditionally thought of as green. As governments worldwide establish strict policies on carbon emissions and other climate changes, organizations will need to upskill their workforce to power these green jobs. According to an International Labour Organisation (ILO) report, implementing sustainable practices could create 24 million new jobs worldwide in the next decade. Therefore, it is a dire need to educate parents about the Green Workforce so that they encourage their children to be future ready for new areas of environment-friendly jobs. Keeping this in mind, the latest episode of HT Dialogues shed light on the topic ‘Creating a Green Workforce Today for Tomorrow’. Here, the discussion centred around educational institutions and how they can support career pipelines by creating practical learning opportunities for school students, providing them with career mentoring and engaging them in classrooms.
The distinguished panelists invited to the discussion included Tania Joshi, Principal at The Indian School, Sadiq Nagar; Dr. Bhavana Kulshrestha, Principal at Amity International School, Ghaziabad and Manav Subodh, founder of 1M1B (1 Million for 1 Billion), India’s largest organization that is developing and mobilizing the future workforce through technology. The hour-long session was moderated by HT PACE Head, Roopali Dhawan.
Sharing some valuable insights during the discussion, Tania Joshi shared, “It is important for future citizens to be aware and prepared to tackle the coming climate change. At The Indian school we’ve introduced children to a theme called ‘reclaiming my planet’ where students are encouraged to use recycled materials for their projects aligning to the SDG goals. It is necessary that today’s youth is in sync with the job trends that will save our planet.”
Further explaining green skills, Manav Subodh quoted, “Green skills are fundamental skills that all professions will need in the future, contributing towards a low carbon economy. There is a common misconception that green skills are only related to the environment and jobs that are related to sustainability, but most of the jobs will require this skill set as a primary eligibility criteria. He also threw light on the statistics saying, “As per the studies the green jobs have increased by 8% over the last few years and the green talent rose by 6%. Thus, there will be a huge talent deficient that we will witness in the coming decade.”
Industries that involve energy production, fuel extraction, agriculture, construction, as well as hydropower, will generate a need for a green workforce in the coming future. Therefore, it is crucial for the policymakers, workers, employers, and educators to be active agents for the necessary transition toward a sustainable and inclusive economy by supporting young people with the skills to access green and decent jobs. When asked about 1M1B’s Green Jobs and Sustainability Accelerator, Manav Subodh shared, “1M1B and Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd (ABFRL) is going to implement Green Jobs and Sustainability Accelerator program in Climate Change action in 25k schools and colleges. Green Jobs and Sustainability Accelerator is designed to create awareness and encourage the participation of young minds by making them more aware and sympathetic to the problems staring at our planet today. It is aimed to educate students/youth on their role in the preservation of the planet while making them cognizant of their actions in their day-to-day lives that are impacting the planet in more ways than they can imagine. As part of the program, students are exposed to the world of green jobs.”
Adding value to the discussion, Dr. Bhavana Kulshrestha talked about the various strategies that schools can adopt in order to provide children the exposure to a plethora of sustainable and green career opportunities. She suggested that schools should conduct orientation programmes, exposure visits, and interactive talk sessions with the industry experts who are already in this field of work for children to get more accustomed to sustainable jobs. “At Amity, we do have orientation sessions for children and parents as well. Since parents are a big influence in their child’s career development and decision making, it is important that we counsel them so that they accept the not-so-traditional latest job trends. We consider the logical aptitude of the child and after a detailed psychometric analysis, we make suggestions to the parents and the children and inform them about the various careers that they can consider in their professional prospects.
By 2070, if India adopts a net-zero emissions economy, it could potentially generate more than 50 million job opportunities, with sustainable ecosystems being the most significant source of employment growth. Education is a critical factor in creating environmentally aware citizens with the necessary expertise to tackle climate and environmental problems.