Hub publishes review of regional Net Zero careers advice

Independent review concludes “The Net Zero transition presents a major opportunity for job creation and economic growth in the North East and Yorkshire” but cautions that without effective careers advice “there is a risk that North East and Yorkshire employers will not be able to fill roles, slowing progress towards climate targets and missing out on economic opportunities”
Report makes recommendations for region and highlights local best practice.

The North East and Yorkshire Net Zero Hub has published an independent review of careers provision in the region, designed to identify:

The research, conducted by analysts Little Lion Research and GC Insight, concludes:

25,000 clean energy jobs will be created in the North East and Yorkshire by 2030 – offering higher than average salaries – with 170,000 new jobs forecast by 2035.
The North East and Yorkshire’s Net Zero sector is “growing faster than the national average” and employees in the Net Zero workforce are more likely to have vocational or apprenticeship qualifications.
By the national Gatsby Benchmarks, regional careers provision “is equal or above national standards” – although one third of schools are not achieving the benchmark relating to workplace experiences.
There is a “growing mismatch between the scale of the Net Zero opportunity and the readiness of the current and future workforce to meet its demands… while employment in Net Zero sectors is expanding rapidly, employees continue to report shortages of skilled workers… this suggests that local education and training systems, although doing a lot of good things in relation to Net Zero careers advice, are not yet fully aligned with the pace and direction of industrial change”.

The review’s findings include:

Most colleges and training providers offer careers advice to learners on Net Zero-related courses, but in most cases, this is embedded within their mainstream careers advice offer rather than tailored specifically to Net Zero pathways.
A large minority of secondary schools/sixth forms and most colleges and training providers appear to struggle to offer Net Zero-focused work placements or sustained employer experiences to students.
Consultees questioned the quality and consistency of Net Zero careers provision across the region, describing it as fragmented, short-term and often reliant on individual champions rather than systematic regional coordination.
- This fragmentation is particularly evident in employer engagement. Large employers in sectors such as offshore wind, energy, and construction have developed effective school and college partnerships, often linked to social value commitments. Yet smaller and emerging businesses — which make up most of the North East and Yorkshire’s Net Zero economy — face barriers to participation and often lack the capacity, resources or confidence to engage meaningfully with education providers, despite being vital to local supply chains and job creation.
Funding limitations, shortages of qualified tutors and careers advisers, and difficulties accessing up-to-date Net Zero labour market intelligence are the most common barriers to delivering high-quality careers advice.

As such the review identifies the following needs:

Better coordination between employers and education providers to align curricula with current and future labour market needs.
Investment in continuous professional development for educators and advisors to strengthen understanding of emerging technologies.
Expanded access to flexible, modular training pathways that enable both young people and adults to transition into Net Zero roles.

To deliver these needs, a number of recommendations are made, including:

The establishment of a region-wide Net Zero careers coordination resource.
Development of a shared labour market and data intelligence system
Inclusion of careers training with Net Zero project community funds
Expanded work experience and employer engagement for Year 8-11 pupils to build early awareness and aspiration, and work placements for Year 12-13 vocational and technical students
Development of a “train the trainer” programme for teachers, tutors and careers professionals to ensure relevance and accuracy of training
Expanded skills bootcamps in green skills for adults and career changers.

The report also highlights examples of strong regional practice, including: