Make UK is calling on the government to transform the local education and training market to meet manufacturers' green skills needs, with government, education, training providers and manufacturers working together to address the green skills gap.Īs part of its road map to net zero, Make UK is recommending that the government should implement a green skills tax credit to encourage manufacturers to prioritise the acquisition of green skills, rapidly increase the provision of training at higher levels to meet the green skills demand, and introduce a "Help to Grow Green" program for managers and leaders to support training in the latest sustainable manufacturing procedures.Īnalysis by the government's Green Jobs Taskforce estimates that more than 1.2 million jobs could be created within the manufacturing and construction sectors in a green economy by 2050, the report said. More than three quarters (77%) of businesses are planning to set their own net-zero targets within the next two years, the report found. Some 61% of manufacturers are looking to change their skills strategy to access and develop these skills. Read more: CBI calls for regional economic clusters to level up UKĮffective leadership and management skills are also key to the green transition, with almost six in 10 manufacturers saying they require management skills in order to be more sustainable. Green skills will be the greatest game changer on the path to achieving sustainable manufacturing, the report said, as a third of companies surveyed are still experiencing a skills gap.Īccording to Make UK, the average skill level of net-zero jobs is 26% higher than the current average occupational skill level in the UK.Īlmost three quarters (72%) of manufacturers ranked innovation skills as the most crucial additional skillset to meet green targets as "the adoption and diffusion of new technologies, which are constantly changing, can support manufacturers to explore different ways of reaching their own net-zero targets," the report said. The manufacturing sector is one of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gas in the UK, accounting for 21% of emissions. The vast majority (98%) of manufacturers are aware of the government’s net zero by 2050 target and 92% said this will be achievable in their business if they receive the right support from the government, according to the report from Make UK in association with Sage. Manufacturer's organisation Make UK released the first road map to net zero for the manufacturing industry on Monday. Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/POOL/AFP via Getty UK prime minister Boris Johnson visits the Envision battery manufacturing facility at the Nissan production plant in Sunderland, July 2021.