2023 Great Must Have Skills required for Green Jobs
As the world grapples with significant potential brown job losses due to call for climate action, there is need to equip one with skills for green jobs. You may be wondering what are some of the skills required? But before we answer that, It is important to understand what green jobs are. According to the International Labour Organisation green jobs are decent jobs that aid to the preservation and restoration of the environment. Other practioners would like to define green jobs as professions which offer goods and services that benefit the planet. With increasing pressure to abandon or reduce the use of fossil fuels or other activities that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, it is important to focus on skills that are increasingly becoming important and in high demand. The obvious question now is what are some of the skills and qualifications required? We answer that question below
The following qualifications and skills are key in order to secure green jobs.
- Research and Writing Skills – With the transition from brown jobs to green jobs, it is crucial to be an avid reader, capable of following trends, have a thirst for knowledge accumulation in climate and environmental issues. The ability to possess grant proposal/ funding proposal writing skills requires that one is knowledgeable about existing trends. In view of this, anyone seeking an opportunity to be a Grants coordinator, partnerships and fundraising officer needs to have good writing skills including technical/ scientific writing skills. Wide readership in climate, energy, environment, natural resources management, forest management, conservation, sustainable development goals elevate one’s position in job hunting. Reports for project activities to donors needs one with excellent writing skills. If you are thinking of a career along these lines, research on free writing courses to enhance your grammar in English or any other official language.
- Strong Adaptive and Transformational Leadership Skills. To face the evolving world, focused on sustainability, generational thinking, ability to adapt and transform are key strategic skills to help one navigate the terrains of green job hunting. Rigidity to the old ways of doing things in business can no longer help but presents itself as a stumbling block. It’s important to refer to free courses offered on coursera. The free courses on adaptive leadership and transformational leadership in climate and environment will help bolster your job prospects. You can get jobs as a sustainability expert, conservation officer, climate affairs officer, head of sustainability among other key jobs. In addition to your Bachelor’s qualification, Masters and PhD you need to have professional executive certificates . You can find these on Udemy, EDx or Coursera
- Innovativeness. The green job world requires someone who is innovative and is capable of bringing new ideas on the table. Many organisations are in search of critical thinkers who can address climate change crisis utilising innovative ideas. Innovations can range from start up ideas, entrepreneurship skills. If you have what it takes to contribute innovative ideas, you stand a change to be hired for grants and fundraising officer positions and strategic planning. It’s important to highlight that one can even start up their own start up if one is innovative.
- Environment and Social Safeguards /Knowledge comprehension / Gender Skills – Knowledge of Environmental Social Governance (ESG) skills have attracted the attention of many organisations and institutions. With key investors, donors and government ministries requiring that ESG performance reporting be carried out for companies especially on potential environment projects, you must not miss out. Acquire this important skills. Gender skills in project and programming are very key in today’s world. Possessing knowledge of Gender skills places you on top of the hierarchy of job seekers. There are different platforms offering these skills and qualifications. It is important that possessing qualifications may not entail you are skilled at something but can leave room to show that you are able to implement what you learnt. Thus, one needs to grab opportunities to improve his or her skills.
- Project and Programme Management Skills. All businesses be it in public or private sector, requires skills in project and / or programme management. There are various platforms to acquire skills in project/programme management. Some plaforms offer certifications. Such institutions include Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), Project Management Professional (PMP) . On Udemy, Coursera and UN Online Courses. With such qualifications you can find opportunities as a Project Officer, Project Assistant or Project Manager among other jobs in organisations focused on promoting green jobs.
- Monitoring and Evaluation – This is a key ingredient required in green jobs.
To sum up, one cannot possess all the skills and qualifications required for green jobs. It’s important that one compliments his/ her qualifications with some practical opportunities to enhance the skills. Such opportunities can come in form of volunteering, internships, fellowships among others. As highlighted earlier possession of a qualification does not entail that someone is skilled. Be that as it may one with qualifications required for green jobs stands a better chance to secure employment or run a start up company. With intense competition mushrooming in the world, acquire your academic qualification be it a Bachelor’s , Masters or PhD in Sustainability, Environment Management, Natural Resource Management, Climate Change, Renewable Energy, Water and Sustainability, International development, Smart Agriculture etc. Our next article will focus on a list of universities and qualifications that will help you secure green jobs. Another article will focus on which organisations to apply for green jobs. Watch the space.