Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on (a) upskilling workers to improve local net zero delivery and (b) the role that local authorities in that upskilling.

The department holds regular discussions with other government departments, through the Green Jobs Delivery Group, which is co-chaired by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. This group is a vehicle for industry and government collaboration on net zero jobs and skills.

The government is assessing local skills shortages that will have an impact on achieving the goals set out in the Net Zero Strategy: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1033990/net-zero-strategy-beis.pdf.

The department is rolling out Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs). LSIPs may only be approved by the Secretary of State if the skills required for local green jobs have been considered. We are underpinning these local labour market insights with investment. The Strategic Development Fund provides funding to enable further education to support local training facilities and provision, better meeting employers’ needs. Funding can be used to upgrade facilities, equipment, and curricula; build overall capacity to meet local skills priorities; stimulate employer demand for and investment in skills; and support ongoing quality improvement.

Likewise, we plan to invest £290 million of capital funding to establish 21 Institutes of Technology across the country. IoTs are prestigious, high-quality employer-led institutions delivering provision tailored local employers’ needs. They specialise in technical skills, particularly in STEM and a range of green sectors.

In addition, the government established the Green Jobs Delivery Group in May 2022, for industry and government collaboration understanding workforce challenges. The Delivery Group is attended by ministers from the department, BEIS, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as well as representatives from industries and local government bodies.

Skills Bootcamps grant-funded for areas to deliver training based on local employers’ needs. They are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, that give learners the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills, and an offer of an employer interview.

The government has devolved approximately 60% of the Adult Education Budget to nine Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Mayor of London. This enables local areas to directly support adults in developing the skills that local employers need.