Green training and education up 33 per cent
Green training news - by GreenWise staff
19th September 2011
Green training and education has grown by more than 33 per cent over the past five years, according to new research.
The volume of
sustainability-linked professional education and training increased by 4.9 per cent in 2010 and by 33.6 per cent over the past five years, according to '
Sustainable Business 2011’, a report published last week assessing UK business’ sustainability performance. More than 10,000 students qualified in subjects covering sustainability-linked topics such as
carbon,
energy,
environment,
sustainable,
ecology and
climate change, according to the report, which analysed data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency, National Examination Board in Occupational Health and Safety and the Society for the Environment.
"Baseload" skills
Over the past nine years the number of higher education 'green’ qualifiers has risen by 38 per cent, while the number of people gaining professional diplomas in environmental and health and safety management – which the report describes as the "baseload skills" of sustainability – has risen by a whopping 219 per cent.
"The number of workers with sustainability knowledge or specific skills is growing rapidly, providing a hopeful sign for the future," the report by ENDS and Forum for the Future said.
Alongside environmental and health and safety management, the report noted growth in
green education and training was being driven by the increasing demand for mainstream skills, such as engineering, business management or economics, to incorporate a range sustainability-related skills.
However, the research also noted traditional environmental jobs were not growing. An annual survey by ENDS of environmental professionals, published in the spring, found many jobs being lost and fears of more losses to come.
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