Yahoo Finance UK to create 480,000 green jobs by 2030
The British government has announced plans to create thousands of green jobs following the inaugural meeting of the country’s first ever dedicated group for creating UK green job opportunities.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said the Green Jobs Delivery Group will create up to 480,000 skilled green jobs by 2030 as part of prime minister Boris Johnson's energy security strategy.
Britain has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.
Co-chaired with E.ON UK chief executive Michael Lewis, the group has also has global leaders from the business, industry, trade unions and academia sectors to help upskills the country's "green workforce".
"Our economy is on an historic journey towards becoming more environmentally friendly than ever. Our green transition is affecting every single sector and we need to ensure green jobs are open to everyone, Lewis said. "The UK needs a future pipeline of talent to power it towards net zero and this Delivery Group will ensure industry and government work together, so we have the diverse, skilled and resilient workforce needed for the future."
Britain's "green industrial revolution" will help unlock up to £100bn ($123.5bn) of private investment by 2030, by which point the government anticipates 95% of electricity could be low carbon.
"[This] means the UK will need a lot more skilled workers to build things like electric vehicles (EVs), manufacture and install heat pumps, hydrogen boilers, wind turbines and solar panels, as well as insulate British homes and buildings," BEIS said.
According to the BEIS, almost 68,000 green jobs have already been created and supported or are in the pipeline across the UK economy since Johnson announced his "Ten Point Plan" in November 2020.
This includes jobs in sectors such as electric vehicle manufacturing in Sunderland, hydrogen facilities in Teesside, and offshore wind in Northumberland, Yorkshire and Humber.
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"We will need tens of thousands of skilled workers for our clean transition and to boost energy security; and well-paid green jobs will help with the cost of living," said energy minister and chair of the Delivery Group Greg Hands. "Our new Delivery Group will help us ensure employers have the know-how and employees the skills to drive our transition to becoming the world’s leading green economy."
Watch: Top tips for helping the environment on a tight budget
