Skills for Climate Change

Low Carbon Living & WorkingProject – Carol Carr

Green Business Network – 7 December 2012

ESF -Background• Part of England and Gibraltar Operational Programme

2007-2013• Dedicated innovative and transnational projects• Operates outside of usual co-financing arrangements• Menu of themes developed by ESF innovation,

transnationality and mainstreaming sub-committee• Regional ESF committees have chosen themes for their

regions• There are 2 priorities

– Priority 1 –Extending employment opportunities– Priority 2 –Developing a skilled and adaptable workforce

Aim & Themes of ITM

The Innovation, Transnationality and Mainstreaming (ITM) strand aims to support small range of strategic, regional projects to develop & deliver new ways of extending employment opportunities and raising workforce skills.

Themes• Active inclusion• Engaging with employers• ICT and the digital divide• Skills for climate change and sustainable development• Demographic change –Older workers and migration• Social enterprise

Skills for climate change and sustainable development

Aims to:

test and develop new ways of addressing the skills needs required to respond to the challenges of climate change and sustainable development

Key Purpose of Low Carbon Living & Working Project

• Introduce a strategic programme of flexible training and education to be delivered by a network of organisations that meet local employer demands and helps the transition to a local low carbon economy

(Skills from entry to postgraduate level)

Target Groups

• Areas of Kirklees with lowest academic achievement, high levels of unemployment, literacy, numeracy and language needs

• Existing workforce & its trainers/mentors

• Skills meet employer demands for higher level skills in environmental & sustainable technologies

Indicative Actions

• Basic skills/Level 1 – Entry Level : embedding skills into neighbourhood learning & unpaid work eg. through offenders and community orders

• Level 2 – new skills and qualification packages to be developed with the College and the local University

• Higher Level training – training for those to lead and champion change – Eco Champions, Low carbon Engineers, Assessors

• Research

Partners (UK)

• Kirklees Council • University of Huddersfield• Kirklees College• Yorkshire Energy Services• WY Probation Service• Green Business Network• Kirklees Partnership• Job Centre Plus• Skills Funding Agency• Kirklees & Calderdale Careers

Transnational Partners

• Freiburg, Germany – learning around their development of low carbon course/modules to become a European Green City 2010

• Gothenburg, Sweden – learning around their development of embedding sustainability into their University courses as well as district heating

• Denmark – in relation to development of courses and module around their wind energy sector

Proposed Transnational Working

• Exchange of information and experience

• Joint development• Exchange of trainees, trainers

and/or staff• Joint research

Finances

• The total project budget is £1.2m (1,319,020 euro)

• Transnational activity amounts to £63,280 (69,643 euro)

Targets

Outputs Quantification

Total number of people to be supported 500

Number of people to gain basic skills 115

Number of people to gain level 2 130

Number of people to gain level 3+ 85

Number of unemployed people gaining full time employment 75

Number of unemployed people gaining part-time employment 75

Level 1 horticulture or bespoke green qualifications 50

Primary research reports 3

New college/university based training modules/qualifications 5

New district wide low carbon engineering posts 5

High level eco champions 7

Policy & Mainstreaming Expectations

• Local green skills delivered in more joined up and structured way, better designed to fill local gaps

• Model low carbon education and training programme across local HE, FE, adult education, employers

• Integrated Low Carbon Skills Modules - integrate into the curriculum across a range of mainstream disciplines and courses

• Primary Research (Employers) - test DIUS Windsor Consultation assumptions and suggest ways in which important messages relating to a low carbon economy could be delivered in a more effective way to employers

The Projects

• Green Futures – delivered by Green Business Network/Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

• Mechanical Services Skills for Climate Change – delivered by Kirklees College

• Opening Opportunities for Low Carbon Careers – delivered by Groundworks

Skills For Climate Change Green Futures

Main Partners

•Green Business Network

•Green Future Building Ltd

•‘build’ Academy

•Kirklees Council

•Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

Training Courses To enhance the capital project at ABLE 2 Kirklees •Eco Construction – Including development of new eco modules in SIPs (Structural insulated panels) & Pontoon blocks

Eco -landscaping – incl. development of new eco modules in Eco Swales & Reed Beds

• Aquaponics – Production of food crops on the fish waste water

Participants

• Unemployed residents of Kirklees recruited through the job centre, connexions and other support agencies

• 60 trainees supported across the three training schemes • Ages ranging from 17 -57 • Some with learning difficulties & others with mental health

problems • Additional support offered with basic skills – Literacy &

Numeracy Skills

Progression Routes

Eco Construction Course•13 into further education / training •9 into employment or apprenticeships •1 self employment •2 volunteering at GFB•Other 7 looking at volunteering/training opportunities