The Co-op Group has launched a £2m Green Opportunities Fund, delivered by its charity the Co-op Foundation, which will “support initiatives helping young people build the skills, confidence and networks needed to access green jobs”.
The initiative comes as research by the Co-op Foundation found that young people are at risk of being locked out the growing green economy, with significant barriers to accessing green skills and careers, particularly for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Barriers identified in the Green Opportunities report include limited awareness of green career pathways, lack of local opportunities, confidence and identity barriers, with some young people feeling green careers are ‘not for people like me’.
“These challenges risk reinforcing existing inequalities at a time when demand for workers is growing across sustainable farming, renewable energy, home retrofitting, electric vehicle infrastructure and nature restoration,” warns the Group.
In 2023, the Group issued a report, Gen Z(ero): Creating a pathway to a greener, fairer future, which found that while young people care about climate change and want to be part of the transition to net zero, many have low awareness of how green jobs and the wider net-zero agenda connect to their own lives and futures.
It also found that young people from lower-income backgrounds, ethnic minority communities and those with disabilities are more likely to face barriers to engagement and opportunity.
“With the UK continuing to make progress in reducing carbon emissions,” adds the Group, “the Green Opportunities Report warns that failing to widen access to green skills and careers risks slowing progress and entrenching inequality, unless targeted action is taken to ensure the transition is fair and inclusive.
The £2m fund, from the proceeds from the sale of compostable carrier bags at Co-op Group stores, will invest in organisations offering young people “the skills, confidence and connections needed to access green careers, with a focus on communities historically excluded from the transition to net zero”.
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The fund is expected to support a range of activities, including training, mentoring, accredited programmes, community-led projects and partnerships with employers, including in food and farming.By supporting access to green skills and opportunity, the Co-op Foundation aims to contribute to a stronger, fairer and more sustainable UK economy, one in which the benefits of the transition to net zero are shared more evenly.
“Like us, young people across the country care deeply about caring for the environment and protecting nature,” said Group CEO Shirine Khoury-Haq, “but too many feel jobs in the green economy of the future is out of reach.
“At Co-op we remain committed to delivering our Net Zero ambitions and encouraging every community, business and government to play their part. We also remain rooted in our view that talent and skills are distributed evenly across the country, but opportunities are not.
“That’s why investing in young people’s skills – from rural communities to inner cities – is one of the most important ways we are backing Britain’s future.
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“The £2m investment we are announcing today will help young people build the opportunities and confidence they need to shape a greener, fairer, future.”
Climate minister Katie White added: “I want young people to be able to look at the changes happening in our energy system and think, this could be for me, this could be a career I can build, if I have the right skills. There are thousands of skilled jobs coming, and it really matters to me that young people, whatever their background, can see a clear way into them.
“That’s why initiatives like the Co-op’s Green Opportunities Fund are so powerful. They show how business can step in and help turn their green ambition into real opportunities, giving young people the skills and confidence to get started. Through our Clean Energy Jobs Plan, we’re backing British business, with over 400,000 new jobs supported by 2030, and making sure these opportunities are felt in communities right across the UK.”
Nick Crofts, CEO of the Co-op Foundation, said: “It’s fantastic to be co-operating with Co-op to work towards our ambition to make green jobs both desirable and accessible to young people, particularly those that are underrepresented in green industries.
“The Co-op Green Opportunities Fund will contribute to creating communities that look to a more sustainable future with equal access to opportunity. I’m proud that not only have we used research to guide us where to focus this funding, but that we’ve worked with young people to develop this fund. We’re passionate that no decisions are made about young people, without young people.”
