Skills Constraints and Low-Carbon Transitions

Date: 14 Mar 2012
Speaker(s): Nick Jagger
Venue: University of Leeds

Part of the CCCEP / SRI seminar series 2011-2012

The transition to a low-carbon economy will require sufficient people with appropriate qualifications and skills to develop manufacture install and operate the low-carbon technologies and approaches.

The actual skills and numbers required are uncertain and will depend on the speed and direction of the transition pathways. However, beyond some global estimates, there has been a lack of studies of the skills requirements in sufficient detail to inform training provision. Given the importance of the low-carbon transition, this paper argues that more attention needs to be paid to the skills and training aspects, in order to inform firms’ strategies and government policies.

This presentation highlighted the potential for a range of market, government and governance failures to impact on the transition to a low-carbon economy. In particular, four generic skills constraints and four low-carbon specific skills constraints were identified and discussed. Some remedies were also put forward – without these, the prospect of a slower, costlier and less employment intensive transition to a low-carbon economy looms.

Date and location: 14 March, University of Leeds

More information

• Download presentation slides (PDF, 176KB)