‘Green job training’ to upskill workforce

Environment commissioner Maria Panayiotou said on Saturday that key state institutions are collaborating to promote ‘green skills’ through training and information programmes.

Panayiotou explained that their efforts are within the provisions of the European Green Deal which aims to make the bloc climate neutral by 2050.

That, she said, means that a huge effort must be undertaken to retrain and upskill the workforce – in line with the ‘green skills’ required.

The commissioner explained that the programmes are to be undertaken in collaboration with a wide range of state actors, including the labour ministry, deputy ministry for research and innovation, and others.

It will also inform the public of the new jobs created through these efforts and of the “better” jobs which will become available.

She stated that ‘green skills’ and jobs will be available across almost all sectors, including health, technology, the arts and construction.

The skills year for digital and green transition, she said, is another tool towards achieving a green transition with social justice – as it promotes the retraining and reskilling of workers.

“It will facilitate the entry or reintegration of new groups into the labour force, at the same time it contributes to integrating environmental impact awareness into all of our activities,” Panayiotou said.

Those skills and jobs, she argued, will lead to more sustainable consumption and production – with the added aim of achieving a circular economy to achieve climate neutrality throughout a product’s lifecycle.

Panayiotou emphasised, however, that to achieve those aims there must be a wider adoption of green technology, developing sustainable industries and transportation, and “of course reducing pollution”.

“Integrating environmental impacts into all our activities and ensuring that our decisions take into account environmental consequences and that is now the only way forward,” she concluded.