Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Green Skills in the Curriculum

Monday 14 March 2022 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Barry Sheerman inquired about steps to introduce a curriculum that develops green skills.
  • The science and geography national curriculums provide knowledge related to sustainability and climate change.
  • The Secretary of State launched a draft sustainability and climate change strategy at COP26 to enhance green skills provision across education.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Barry Sheerman Lab
Education Climate
Context

The question arises from the need to develop a curriculum that supports green skills and sustainability in education.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to introduce a curriculum that develops green skills. The science and geography national curriculums provide knowledge related to sustainability, climate change, and resource use, but there's a need for more structured development of these skills.

Answer from Robin Walker

The science and geography national curriculums provide pupils with knowledge that underpins the development of green skills. The Secretary of State launched a draft sustainability and climate change strategy at COP26, setting out key actions to enhance green skills provision across education.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific steps being taken by the Department were not clearly detailed beyond mentioning existing curriculums and a draft strategy.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q2 Barry Sheerman Lab
Education Employment Climate
Context

The question arises from the need for more extensive and faster training in green skills to support a net zero economy, with particular emphasis on preparing young people for such jobs.

Question

May I ask the Minister to work across parties on this issue? For a net zero economy, we need to do far more training for green skills. Too often I find that young people at age 16, 18 or 21, do not know the pathway. When I talk to teachers in my constituency, and indeed those in early years, they all want to prepare their children for a green economy and provide them with green skills for wonderful jobs in the green environment.

Answer from Robin Walker

I welcome what the hon. Gentleman says. We all agree about the importance of this area, which is why we pursue the science, technology, engineering and maths agenda. We need to work across the education piece to ensure that we are preparing people for the jobs of the future. The strategy published at COP26 by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is a step in that direction, but I agree with the hon. Gentleman that we want to work across parties and across the House, and in all parts of the country, to drive this agenda forward.

Partly answered

Not addressed: While acknowledging the importance of cross-party collaboration, specific steps or actions towards achieving this were not detailed.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email