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Inside a Green Skills Lab: Career Insights from Industry Experts 

Last week, one of Mayor’s Academy partner colleges, London South East Colleges (LSEC), hosted an inspiring Green Skills event, drawing in a diverse audience. We welcomed students interested in green skills careers, LSEC tutors, representatives from local employers Kier Construction and Milletts Electrical, and individuals from the Greater London Authority and Department for Work and Pensions.  

The purpose for the event was twofold: to showcase the Green Skills Lab where students can get hands on learning and discuss the future of green skills with employers in the industry.  

Green Skills for Net Zero

The event kicked off with a presentation by LSEC Senior Lecturer, Philip Mew, outlining London’s ambitious goal to reach Net Zero by 2030. Becoming Net Zero will require a combination of creating new innovation, updating existing technologies and infrastructure, and upskilling our workforce to do both. The upskilling portion is where green skills come in – green skills are the skills required to leverage core technologies to reach Net Zero.

Examples of core green technologies: 

Green skills jobs go far beyond installation. Skilled workers are needed to continuously develop, maintain, and improve these technologies, creating industry resilience and long-term career opportunities in turn. 

Industry Insights: Q&A with Employers

After the presentation, we dove into an interactive Q&A with representatives from partner employers Kier Construction and Milletts Electrical. (All answers are summarised from verbal employer responses.)

Question: How has the Green Skills landscape changed over the last 5 to 10 years, and how are employers approaching projects differently? 

The shift has been significant. With evolving government targets (first Net Zero by 2050, now London’s Net Zero by 2030) sustainability has moved from a “nice to have” to a “need to have.” For many companies, sustainability teams are now supporting in every stage of development, from project scoping and bidding to actual delivery. Large developers are increasingly employing in-house environmental specialists, for example in carbon, energy, soil, and other areas. Without this ready expertise, companies risk losing out on contracts.  

Businesses are also more proactively looking ahead to align themselves with anticipated government objectives or regulations. For Milletts, this has meant early investing in renewable electrical systems and working with manufacturers to upskill their workforce. 

Question: What can we expect in the next 5 to 10 years around green skills? 

Green skills are no longer optional—they’re essential. Employers emphasise that knowledge alone isn’t enough; practical training is key. 

According to a referenced 2024 LinkedIn hiring report: 

• Job seekers with green skills or titles see an almost 55% higher hiring rate than the workforce overall. 
• Global demand for green talent grew twice as fast as supply between 2023 and 2024 (demand rose 11.6% whereas supply rose 5.6%). 

One employer shared that he now asks every candidate, regardless of role, about their understanding of sustainability and green skills. Awareness of green issues is becoming a baseline expectation. 

Question: What skills do employers look for in entry-level candidates? 

In terms of green skills, a basic understanding of sustainability and Net Zero is important. Employers don’t expect expertise, but they do expect awareness of how these concepts relate to the company, industry, and community. 

However, technical skills aren’t always the first priority in hiring. Interestingly, all of our visiting employers heavily emphasised they often hire for attitude first (soft skills) and train for hard skills later. Critical soft skills include: 

• Willingness to learn 
• Curiosity 
• Punctuality 
• Resourcefulness  
• Clear communication 
• Interest in the work 

One employer, commenting on resourcefulness, summed it up: “We look for someone who can find a solution every time, no matter what’s thrown at them.”  

Question: Why do employers partner with colleges? 

Partnerships are key to preparing students for the workforce. Employers can offer real-world insights, leveraging lessons from not only the classroom but from actual job sites. That exposure is critical to the learning process and creates better employability outcomes, benefiting employers and employees alike. 

These partnerships also allow employers to cater educational courses to their existing skills gaps. For instance, through a partnership with Milletts, LSEC students received targeted training to fill a Health and Safety skills gap at Milletts. 

Through partnerships with firms, educational providers can host events (like this) to drum up interest in the sector, help students learn about career opportunities, establish employer-student relationships, and unlock doors for learners’ futures.  

Question: We know one job security is a major factor in a person deciding their career path. How stable are green skills jobs, especially given technology and regulatory shifts can rapidly change industries?

Evidence has shown that the push for sustainability will continue from people and industry, even if government objectives ebb and flow in response to political changes. Consumers are increasingly using their spending power to make sustainable choices. Businesses are following demand and continuing to adopt environmentally-friendlier practices and invest in innovation. 

Regarding technology changes: while innovation may change how things are done, there will always be a need for people to install, maintain, and improve these systems. The data consistently show that green skills are in high demand, and the demand will continue to rise as climate change continues and we work towards Net Zero. 

Lab Tour & Wrap Up

After the employer Q&A, guests were taken on an interactive Green Skills Lab tour, seeing exactly what the students see: fully functioning systems where they can get hands-on learning. The Lab contains several technologies students can practise on including air source heat pumps and photovoltaic solar panels. Informal Q&A continued as Philip showcased each technology.  

After the event, I briefly connected with a student who had been very engaged during throughout the day. In our conversation, his enthusiasm for finding his green skills career path was evident. He told me that in response to his learnings, he’s now enrolling in an electrical course and is more confident about his future in a green skills career.  

Author: Claire LoRusso (Green Skills Project Coordinator)

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