The climate crisis and Net Zero challenges are real. Policy makers, employers and educators need to deliver practical, green skills solutions so that today’s engineers - and tomorrow’s - can change our world for the better. We are helping them.
The road to Net Zero is not a long one; time is fast running out which means decisions need to be made now so that the right planning and development can take place.
We remain committed to our core purpose: one engineer can change their world, and ours. Our mission is to make their path to achieving this as smooth as possible.
At the start of 2020 we set out to explore how gameplay could help discover a young person’s aptitude for engineering.
Working with the education edition of Minecraft we have created four Skills Miner games and our latest - launched to coincide with COP 26 - brings the challenge of creating greener homes to life.
Minecraft is a blackhole that absorbs attention in a massive chunk of a generation of kids...Bravo to Enginuity for harnessing this to create more than a spark of career interest in these kids.
We have created a Beta Tool which identifies future demand as well as the roles that will help drive sustainable living and working. Employers need to know now what future skills are needed to help industry with the shift to Net Zero; this is likely to mean upskilling or reskilling their workforce. Using our Beta Tool, we can identify the improvements that can make ways of working greener.
"This decade is decisive and we need to turn ambition into action."
We couldn’t agree more. That’s why we’ve spent the last few years building practical engaging games and tools, based on expert knowledge and data analysis. We want to help businesses take practical action to build a greener, sustainable future.
Using our analysis tools with open twitter data to judge the mood of the nation
Just over a week before the launch of COP26, the opportunity to seize change is clear; great to see that skills are recognised as being part of the solution – an integrated approach will be vital if we are to achieve climate change ambitions.
Overall sentiment in the week that #COP26 launches is showing neutrality. It will be interesting to see how this changes over the coming weeks. That said, there is conversation taking place about the practical measures needed to meet #NetZero. This comment illustrates the role of heat pumps in addressing emissions while highlighting the need - and value - of tackling skills requirements to make the shift possible.
#COP26 starts on Sunday 31st and much is being done this week to make clear its objectives. Described as our "last best chance" by John Kerry, there's no question that there is determination to avert climate catastrophe.
Our sentiment tracker shifts to negative from neutral - a reflection of further bad news. If #COP26 is too bleak, will it risk alienating people? But facts have to be faced, and when they're this bad, how could they possibly be sugar-coated? Ahead of #COP26, a report from the UN Environmental Programme puts forth even more stark warnings around the impacts and pace of climate change are even more stark. It makes clear that the targets agreed as part of the Paris Agreement wont be enough to limit catastrophic effects, and that a lack of leadership and too much ambiguity around plans to cut carbon are leading issues in failures to address climate change.
Valuable insight and something we are seeking to enhance by building on a role classification system called O*NET. More info here Through our work we are determining how the current workforce can upskill or reskill, and we are predicting and / or quantifying the possible scale of change.
We believe that now is the time for for government, industry and educators to work together in order to define and develop a Green Skills blueprint. Clarity of direction is essential not least as we seek to attract the next generation into a workforce that will enable industry to meet its Net Zero targets.
Work is underway at #COP26 - and hopefully the first steps are being taken on a journey that will identify remedies needed in the race to #NetZero. Ultimately, any decisions require well-trained people to implement them. Green Skills are fundamental and they need to be an integral part of the agenda. It's not only "what can be done", but "how will it be done" that will make the difference
Valuable points made by @MathesonMichael; industry needs to use its voice to explain what #greenskills are needed to help manufacturing make the shift towards operating more sustainably. If industry provides the insight and explanation; politicians create the right climate, and learning providers deliver the right training and education, we can get there. There's no getting away from the stark warnings coming out of #COP26 but positive solutions provide hope that by working together, it will be possible to address the challenge
Great infographic from @NatWestBusiness, @HMVC, & @wmgwarick. It illustrates an important viewpoint - what is the customer thinking? Our focus has always been on how to deliver, what we can't lose sight of is 'what is the market demanding?' Whether a B2B firm, or a B2C, being accountable to consumers has moved beyond the simple time - cost - supply - demand equation. Does the 'how' tally with the sustainable values that are becoming central to consumer spending?
It is energy day at #COP26 and we're seeing commitments into moving away from coal and oil. Heat pumps and hydrogen have been in discussion for some time but the pivot is starting to gain pace. While homeowners consider the reality of an end to gas boilers and alternative fuel, we shine a light on the workforce needed to support the shift. Words are being translated into action.
Rolls-Royce has been a long-term innovator in the pursuit of cleaner, greener aero engines. The TUC “exists to make the working world a better place”. We are focussed on enabling organisations of all size build a sustainable workforce by identifying how the right green skills can be identified at the right time. A point particularly resonant point on Youth and Public Empowerment Day @COP26. Sustaining a workforce guarantees future employment; ensuring that workforce is engaged in sustainable activities guarantees a future planet.
Great to see the power of gaming being used more widely to demonstrate how young people, used to overcoming challenges in a virtual world, can put their skills to use in manufacturing and engineering. Sadly, jobs in our industries don’t get the same exposure as others! By working with the gaming community and – in the case of Skills Miner – secondary school learners, we are hoping to encourage the next generation of innovators.
Great to see the power of gaming being used more widely to demonstrate how young people, used to overcoming challenges in a virtual world, can put their skills to use in manufacturing and engineering. Sadly, jobs in our industries don’t get the same exposure as others! By working with the gaming community and – in the case of Skills Miner – secondary school learners, we are hoping to encourage the next generation of innovators.
Today we have highlighted a tweet which discusses the importance of diversity and inclusion to the skills landscape. Today we publish a blog by our COO Lucy Thompson who, like the @IPPR North, is from the North East. Lucy discussed why culture is of such profound importance to the skills landscape both in terms of stimulating innovation and in attracting the next generation of talent to our industries.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It’s Science and Innovation day at COP26. The Crawley Towns Fund Programme includes a project for investing in skills which will help fund green construction skills training programmes and new further education skills training infrastructure. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WestSussexClimateAction?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WestSussexClimateAction</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COP26?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COP26</a></p>— Crawley Council (@crawleybc) <a href="https://twitter.com/crawleybc/status/1458102159208235017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2021</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
It feels as though balance needs to be struck between national skills requirements in broad sectors, such as construction, and local skills needs in areas with unique ties to a particular industry – automotive in the Midlands, for example, or aerospace in the South West. A dual approach to green skills development feels like the right approach for delivering a successful skills strategy.
With greater emphasis being placed on the sustainable credentials of companies within supply chains, the SME business community can feel overwhelmed not least as they don’t often have resources to help make changes. Today’s tweet is a great example of a Swindon-based manufacturer whose incremental steps have resulted in green leaps around they operate. Practical, straight-forward, and reasonable to achieve.
As #COP26 draws to a close after a busy fortnight, we highlight this excellent quote from @DavidgeVerity which celebrates the vital role of manufacturers in solving problems that need solving…but aren’t easily fixed! It has been reassuring to see so much focus on #greenskills throughout the last two weeks. There is greater understanding around what needs to happen to ensure the right skills are developed today and tomorrow to support companies in our industries as they work towards Net Zero.
We create practical solutions for individuals, educators, and manufacturing and engineering employers, using unmatched industry expertise and data. Our ‘Enginuity’ in marrying our engineering expertise with ingenuity with data, is how we will design and constantly improve solutions and prove the business case for engineering skills development.