Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that Skills England helps create green skills in all decarbonising sectors.

The department is working to ensure that learners and businesses can access the skills needed to deliver the green economy.

Skills England will play a key role, using up-to-date analysis to identify skills gaps in the green and wider economy, and ensuring there is a comprehensive suite of training and education to meet those skills. It will identify the training that can be accessed through the Growth and Skills Offer and prioritise the eight growth-driving sectors, which includes the clean energy industries. The government will ensure workers in high-carbon sectors are supported during the transition to net zero, for instance through targeted reskilling initiatives such as the Energy Skills Passport and localised skills interventions.

Collaborating with industry, regional partners and trade unions, we are creating clear pathways into secure, well-paid, and high quality clean energy jobs. An example of this is Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs), where there is a statutory requirement for LSIPs to consider the skills, capabilities or expertise required in relation to jobs that directly or indirectly support net zero targets, climate change and other environmental goals. The LSIPs process will be overseen by Skills England.