Students not drawn to careers in sectors crucial to UK's net zero ambitions, new research suggests

Future careers in sectors vital to decarbonising the UK’s economy are struggling to appeal to students, a major new piece of research suggests today.

A survey of nearly 4,000 school, college and university students has found that sectors including Construction, Utilities and Transport rank poorly as those which appeal to the UK’s future workforce.

The research was published by leading engineering and environmental professional services consultancy WSP alongside Savanta ComRes, with the survey suggesting a possible shortfall in jobs across key sectors which have an important role to play in delivering net zero.

A number of the survey findings were presented this morning at an event hosted by WSP in the House of Commons, with a panel discussion sponsored by Peter Aldous MP (Chair of the Further Education and Lifelong Learning All-Party Parliamentary Group). Also taking part with WSP in the panel discussion were colleagues from EngineeringUK and RenewableUK.

Future Careers

The research shows that nearly two-fifths of students (37%) would not consider a career in Construction, despite the sector playing a crucial role in decarbonising our infrastructure and buildings, as well as the creation of new homes across the UK.

Over a third of students (34%) would not pursue a career in the Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing sector, while over a fifth (22%) would not consider a career in either Utilities or Transport.

These figures contrast with students’ impressions of which sectors are most important in helping the UK reach its net zero emissions targets, with Utilities (24%), Transport (13%) and Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing (11%) ranking highest.

In the Utilities sector for instance, which includes energy, water and power, EngineeringUK’s ‘Net Zero Workforce’ report from July 2022 showed that 64,000 solar PV jobs are required by 2035 alone, as well as 90,000 jobs in offshore wind power and 44,000 in hydrogen by 2030.

Impact & Education

Only half of students (50%) think their generation can have a high impact on tackling issues surrounding the environment and climate change, less than two-in-five (39%) were confident in their understanding of the term “green jobs” when asked.

This lack of understanding may be in part due to their school curriculum, with 75% of students agreeing that they would like or would have liked to learn more about climate, sustainability and environmental related topics at school. Additionally, only a fifth (22%) felt informed about the range of green jobs available to them.

When asked about their own education whilst at school, just over half of students (54%) say they learnt about the topics of sustainability, climate change and the natural environment through taught lessons. When analysing the age breakdown of those who selected this option, it suggests a greater focus on taught lessons over the last few years, with this chosen by 43% of 23+ year-olds, 56% of 18-20-year-olds and 63% of 16-17-year-olds.

Quotes

Rachel Skinner, Executive Director at WSP, said: “For us to successfully tackle the many dimensions of the urgent climate challenge, we can’t carry on doing things the way we always have. Having the right skills – in sufficient strength, breadth and depth – is essential if the UK is to seize the opportunity to boost economic growth and build new expertise through the climate transition.

“But WSP’s new research shows this could be an uphill struggle. While today’s students have grasped the crucial importance of the engineering and infrastructure sectors in securing a lower carbon future, many of them do not view these sectors as prime targets for their own future employment.

“This leads to key questions: how can we change this perspective? What more can we do to accelerate the development of a workforce with the right skills to deliver against the UK’s net zero commitments?”

RenewableUK's Offshore Wind Director Jane Cooper welcomed the study, saying: "It's more important than ever that we engage with young people studying STEM subjects as the number of jobs in the UK's offshore wind industry is set to grow rapidly to nearly 100,000 by 2030.

“This means we need to attract a diverse range of people with skills at every level, to ensure that we ramp up the speed and scale at which we build out vital new offshore wind projects. As well as creating tens of thousands of new jobs, this will deliver cheap electricity to consumers as well as taking effective action against climate change".  

Dr Isabel DiVanna, Director of Business Development and Partnerships at EngineeringUK, comments: “As a sector we need to do more to showcase green jobs to young people so they understand the wealth of opportunities available in the portfolio of engineering careers. We also need to raise the awareness of the range of routes and roles, including offering and promoting vocational opportunities, and we aim to support this through outreach activities and careers resources on our schools website, Neon.”

ENDS