PM promises 10,000 work placements in low carbon economy

He said the Government would be working with the Eden Project and the Mayday Network – the UK’s largest group of businesses committed to taking action on climate change – to create the placements, “so that our young people can make the most of the opportunities the low carbon economy will open up to them”.

It is expected the scheme will involve young people from all over the UK and will combine a spell at the Eden Project with going out to companies all over the network.

The Prime Minister also committed to creating more than a quarter of a million new green jobs – though did not specify whether these were additional to those already announced or how this would be achieved.

“We are already global leaders in wind power, green cars, clean coal and carbon capture. And now we will lead again, with new designated low carbon zones around the regions of this country,” he said.

Although the work placement project was the only new green initiative announced by the Prime Minister’s speech yesterday, he made clear his belief that the UK’s economic future “must be green”.

“Our new economic model for a strong economy is founded on three guiding principles,” he said. “That in future finance must always be the servant of people and industry and not their master. That our future economy must be a green economy. And that we must realise all of Britain’s talent if we are to lead and succeed.”


Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband – who is also the Labour Party’s Manifesto co-ordinator – likewise made it clear to conference delegates that green issues would be at the centre of Labour’s strategy going into the next election.

“It is right, even in tough economic times, that we’re investing in the low carbon industries of the future,” he said.

Again the speech, aimed more at rallying the troops than advancing policy, was short on detail. Instead, Miliband called on the Party to be bold in developing and promoting the UK’s green economy.

“Business as usual says on the environment, we wait for others to act before we act ourselves,” he suggested. “Being bold means, as we have done, having a transition plan so we can take carbon out of our economy, sector by sector.”





He added:  “Being bold means reforming our planning system.” This is something the Energy and Climate Change Secretary promised earlier this year after expressing his personal frustration at the way in which the planning system puts the breaks on many low carbon projects, notably the development of wind farms.