Green Skills Are Not Optional: Insights and Provocations from the Santander Roundtable
As the UK races toward net zero, a quiet crisis is unfolding: we don’t yet have the workforce to get us there. That was the urgent message from Santander UK’s recent roundtable at the Climate Innovation Forum on green skills, where leaders from business, education, and government gathered to confront the challenge and imagine what comes next.
Drawing on insights from the 2024 Santander UK Tomorrow’s Skills and 2025 Global Tomorrow’s Skills reports, the session focused on the urgent need to align education, training, and employment with the realities of a rapidly evolving green economy
⚠️ The Skills Gap: A Systemic Risk
The conversation opened with a provocation: “Green jobs are growing, but where are the people to fill them?” The answer revealed a deeper issue: our systems - education, training, policy - are not yet aligned with the realities of a sustainable economy.
�� Four Provocations That Emerged
1. We need to rethink what counts as a green job.
Sustainability isn’t a sector, it’s a mindset. Every job must become a green job. But are we equipping people with the right blend of technical, digital, and soft skills to thrive?
2. We’re not reaching the people who need this most.
From rural communities to underserved urban areas, access to green skills is uneven. How do we ensure that the transition is not only just - but inclusive?
3. Policy is lagging behind ambition.
Participants called for bold moves: net-zero visas, sector-specific levies, and free tuition for green careers. But without long-term policy certainty, can business and education plan effectively?
4. We’re not telling a story people want to be part of.
The term “green skills” doesn’t always resonate. What if we reframed it as “skills for a sustainable future”? Could that unlock new audiences and new energy?
�� What We Need Now: Action, Not Admiration
The roundtable didn’t just identify problems, it surfaced solutions. From sustainability bootcamps to TikTok campaigns, from teacher training to community partnerships, the ideas were bold and actionable. But the real question is: who will lead?
�� Join the Next Chapter
We’re planning a follow-up session to go deeper into the barriers, the opportunities, and the bold moves needed to close the green skills gap. If you want to be part of shaping this agenda, we invite you to join us.
�� Please send an email to sustainability@santander.co.uk
Let’s move from insight to impact. Because the future won’t wait.
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