On 27 April 2021, Carbon Connect held an online roundtable to discuss the skills and standards that will be required by a delivery architecture for the UK’s 2050 net zero carbon emissions target.

Attendees began by discussing the challenge of how to train a workforce able to install energy efficient technology, and the multi-disciplinary, lifelong educational opportunities needed to facilitate this upskilling of the workforce. The scale of the challenge means government must accelerate qualifications and support educational providers in delivering them.

The discussion also covered which institutions are best placed to deliver skills and standards, and how they can build trust with consumers was also considered. This dialogue will be explored further during the next evidence session on 12 May.

Tuesday’s roundtable was the second in a series of four evidence sessions, exploring key thematic areas of a potential delivery architecture for net zero: governance and place; skills and standards; public engagement; and new and existing business models.

The event was co-chaired by Darren Jones MP, Wera Hobhouse MP and Alexander Stafford MP, and introductory remarks were given by Liz North (Policy Connect), Scott Couldridge (National Grid) and Graham Wright (Daikin UK). The roundtable consultation heard evidence from a multitude of stakeholders, including business, academia, and infrastructure experts.

For more information, contact rein.deloor [at] policyconnect.org.uk (Rein de Loor).