Agenda item

Agenda item

Green Skills and Jobs

Report of the Director of Inclusive Economy.

 

This report provides an update on the opportunities and challenges faced by Manchester as the city makes the transition to a zero-carbon future.

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Inclusive Economy which provided an update on the opportunities and challenges faced by

Manchester as the city makes the transition to a zero-carbon future.

 

Key points and themes of the report included:

 

·         Challenges and opportunities in the skills system and implications for the city’s clean and economic growth;

·         Green skills, low carbon employment opportunities and business growth and innovation were fundamental components of Manchester’s growth and were crucial to ensuring an inclusive economy for all residents;

·         How skills reforms would support more people into green jobs and help to grow future talent pipelines; and

·         Initiatives that the Council is involved in to enable development of skills.

 

Some of the key points and queries that arose from the Committee’s discussions included:

 

·         The impact of the cost of living crisis on the need to address the skills and jobs gap in Manchester;

·         Whether leadership and management training was offered within courses;

·         The inflexibility of qualifications and how colleges respond to need from industry;

·         Whether large-scale funding would help to facilitate retrofitting or whether demand was required first;

·         Engagement with businesses to improve carbon literacy; and

·         The ability of the Green Skills programme to help eligible candidates get into work.

 

The Executive Member for Skills, Employment and Leisure acknowledged the impact of the cost of living crisis as vital on the need to address the skills and jobs gap in Manchester and explained that the Council’s strategy was to increase household incomes and lower costs and green jobs and retrofitting would help with these aims.

 

The Director of Inclusive Economy commented that work was needed to emphasise STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and the value of trade. The Growth Company was opening a centre in Trafford Park with a focus on these areas and to work with employers.

 

In response to a query regarding leadership and management training, the Director of Inclusive Economy explained that the Council works with universities on this subject and particularly those which offer MBA courses. The Growth Company are also involved in a wider leadership programmes in co-operation with universities and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA). 

The Industry Skills Intelligence Lead (GMCA) acknowledged challenges in upskilling and explained that less than 1% of the construction workforce in Manchester were fully qualified in retrofitting. An increase in the workforce was required to encourage competition and specialisation and to ensure the workforce is better prepared for the scale of retrofitting.

 

Members were also informed that GMCA had received funding for upskilling and that this had recently been reissued.

 

Regarding supply and demand for retrofitting and how large-scale funding would help with this, the Industry Skills Intelligence Lead (GMCA) explained that conversations have taken place with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy within central government about requirements and challenges surrounding retrofit. Issues around materials, equipment, capacity and deliverability of organisations, and functions within local authorities and housing providers were cited as potential challenges to large-scale retrofitting.

 

It was stated, however, that the amount of time taken to pay for green equipment, such as solar panels and heat pumps, had decreased which improved accessibility to green infrastructure. As demand for this increases, employers would also need to employ additional staff to deal with the scale of demand.

 

Members were advised that authorities were able to apply for additional funding for social housing decarbonisation and this had been undertaken in coordination with housing providers with Greater Manchester expecting to receive £90 million.

 

The Director of Inclusive Economy explained that Manchester Adult Education Service (MAES) was working to embed carbon literacy into their work as an added qualification within their offer. Carbon literacy training was also taking place in work clubs to upskill club leaders.

 

In response to the member query regarding how the Green Skills programme would help candidates get into work, the Director of Inclusive Economy explained that the example provided in the report was the Community Renewal Fund which had created a programme with a number of partners including the Council to provide work placements and progress candidates into permanent roles.

 

The programme was due to be completed in December 2022. Further information could be provided after this and members were assured that the Council anticipated more than 50 people would be in jobs at the end of the programme.

 

Decision:

 

That the Committee notes the report and endorses the proposed approach. 

Supporting documents: