Large numbers of students are uninterested in the very sectors they see as crucial to UK’s net zero ambitions, including transport, according to a major new survey.
Published by consultancy WSP alongside Savanta ComRes, the poll of nearly 4,000 16-23-year-old students investigated issues around the UK’s green transition.
It found only half (50%) of those surveyed thought their generation can have a high impact on tackling environmental and climate issues. However nearly two-fifths (37%) wouldn’t consider a career in construction, while over a fifth (22%) wouldn’t consider careers in 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 and fishing (11%) ranking highest.
Rachel Skinner, executive director at WSP, said: '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?'
In the utilities sector, 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.
Students also felt uninformed about 'green jobs' in general, with fewer than two-in-five (39%) stating they were confident in their understanding of what the term meant.
This lack of understanding may be in part due to their school curriculum - 75% of students agreed that they would like or would have liked to learn more about climate, sustainability and environmental related topics at school. Only a fifth (22%) felt informed about the range of green jobs available to them.
Just over half of students (54%) say they learnt about the topics of sustainability, climate change and the natural environment through taught lessons at school.
However the age breakdown suggests this could be changing with a greater focus on taught lessons over the last few years - 43% of 23+ year-olds, 56% of 18-20-year-olds and 63% of 16-17-year-olds.
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.'
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