IfATE’s aim is to work with employers so that apprenticeships and technical education can help the country to achieve sustainable growth while meeting net zero targets.
Our three green principles:
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apprenticeships and technical qualifications should be ready to fill the very latest environmental and climate change skills needs
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T Levels and Higher Technical Qualifications should play their part in helping learners prepare for and find green jobs and apprenticeships. Employers, providers and others in the sector should be supported to make apprenticeships and technical education products more sustainable
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everyone, including IfATE, should embed a sustainable culture across their own organisation
Examples of how green skills have been added to occupational standards.
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Sustainability business specialist occupational standard. The apprenticeship now includes a wider range of sectors than ever before, helping organisations to manage the resources they use and the waste they generate. There were 47 apprenticeship starts in the year 2021/22.
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Domestic electrician occupational standard. Newly approved apprenticeship, training people to maintain domestic heat pumps, solar panels and EV charging points.
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Forest craftsperson occupational standard. New apprenticeship focused on creating, maintaining and harvesting forests and woodlands, contributing to the proposed target of increasing tree canopy and woodland cover across England by 2050.
Development over the next year:
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Battery manufacturing technician occupational standard. Batteries will play a key role in the environmental agenda, providing storage for renewable energy generation and power to electric vehicles.
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Installation electrician and maintenance electrician occupational standard. Revising this apprenticeship will help to add in crucial skills to support the government ambition of 300,000 publicly accessible EV charging points by 2030. This new generation of electricians will be ready to install and maintain these EV charging points.
IfATE will also:
- evaluate and update our sustainability framework to make sure it is helping to deliver green skills through apprenticeships and technical education
- include a new ‘green occupation’ filter on our occupational maps, so that employers and learners can see which apprenticeships support a green career
- make green skills a major part of our future facing innovation strategy, (due to be published in spring 2023)
- work with the government, including on the Ministerial Green Jobs Delivery Group
All of these actions are an important first step in achieving our vision, but it is just a first step.
You can download our climate change and environmental skills strategy to learn more about our work in this area.
How you can get involved
We rely on employers to help develop and maintain our occupational standards, apprenticeships and technical qualifications. You can get involved by joining one of our trailblazer groups or our Green Advisory Community. Please contact Institute.Sustainability-Team@education.gov.uk to find out how you can help to boost green skills in technical education.
Published 11 Jan 2023
Last updated 10 July 2023
(SHF, NS)