Welcome from the UK Government Secretary of State for Education, Rt Hon Gillian Keegan MP

Our world is changing rapidly and, even in my lifetime, I have seen the impacts of climate change become more apparent. The challenge has become more urgent, but within that challenge there are opportunities.

Education and skills are crucial to meeting this challenge and to seizing the opportunities that it offers. With knowledge and skills, we can inspire and empower young people and adult learners alike to be part of the change that we need. Creating pathways to green jobs is vitally important as we transition to net zero and as we participate in nature’s recovery.

This is not something that any of us can do alone. Developing green skills provision and green career pathways requires collaboration and collective action and solutions – across sectors, local areas and across the globe.

This is why I am delighted to invite you to the International Green Skills Conference, co-hosted by the Department for Education and Times Higher Education. The conference will explore the breadth of green skills learning and green career pathways within a global context. It will bring together the further and higher education sectors, businesses, policymakers, young people, adult learners, and international partners.

By building and strengthening links between sectors and countries, we can drive the provision of green skills and green career pathways locally and globally to achieve our net zero goals and ambitions for nature recovery.

I hope you will join me for these exciting discussions this September.

About the UK Government Department for Education

The Department for Education (DfE) is responsible for children’s services and education, including early years, schools, higher and further education policy, apprenticeships and wider skills in England. We work to provide these services in ways that ensure opportunity is equal for all, regardless of background, family circumstances or need.

At our heart, we are about realising potential. We enable children and learners to thrive, by protecting the vulnerable and delivering excellent standards of education, training and care. This helps everyone to be their best – and that powers our economy, strengthens society and increases fairness.

Commitment to tackling climate change and promoting sustainability through education

In April 2022, the DfE published “Sustainability and climate change: a strategy for the education and children’s services systems”. This sets out the vision for the UK to have the world-leading education sector in sustainability and climate change by 2030. It outlines how the DfE will support education settings in order to achieve this ambition across five key areas: climate education; green skills and careers; education estate and digital infrastructure; operations and supply chains; and international.

The strategy also sets out new initiatives, including the National Education Nature Park and Climate Leaders Award, and support for education leaders to take a whole-setting approach to tackling climate change by developing action plans.

In addition, through our education and skills system, we are seeking to inspire young people to choose career paths that further the transition to net zero, the restoration of biodiversity and a sustainable future. We are continuing to support adults to retrain and reskill in line with the needs of the green economy. The government’s “Net zero strategy” sets out in detail how our skills reforms will support more people into green jobs and help to grow future talent pipelines. This includes new T levels, apprenticeships and the expansion of Skills Bootcamps.

Through the measures set out in the sustainability and climate change strategy and wider activity, the UK education sector will play a critical role in positively responding to climate change and inspiring action on the international stage.

 Visit DfE's website