Students present to Green Jobs
Taskforce for West Yorkshire Green
Skills Youth Programme

Enterprising pupils from Oulton Academy were chosen to present their idea to the Green Jobs Taskforce, which the Mayor of West Yorkshire, chairs. They were able to illustrate how they believe the Taskforce can improve engagement with young people where employment and skills are concerned, helping the region meet its net zero carbon target.

The group from Oulton Academy were among 174 young people who got involved in several innovative activities designed and delivered by Ahead Partnership with the help of local employers to help bring green jobs to life for young people as part of the West Yorkshire Green Skills Youth Programme.

The West Yorkshire Green Skills Youth Programme delivered a number of interactive activities in 2022 for young people aged 14-17 years old, introducing them to local employers and engaging them in meaningful debate and discussion around green skills.

Pre taskforce, year 9 pupils Imogen, William, Evie and Eve spoke to the Mayor about their idea and the proceeded to present it to the Taskforce.

The Green Jobs Taskforce brings together experts from business, education and training, and the third and public sectors. Its goal is to position West Yorkshire as a leader for green skills and jobs and set out how to deliver the skills and jobs needed to address the climate emergency. You can find out more about the Taskforce online here.

The Taskforce also lead on the development and finalisation of the  recommendations, helping to deliver the Mayor’s pledge to create 1,000 new green jobs for young people by 2024.

Stephanie Burras CBE, chief executive of Ahead Partnership, said:

“Now more than ever, businesses are focused on future-proofing and looking at how they can deliver on long-term environmental commitments. A big part of this means ensuring that we have the right skilled workers in this region.

“By connecting the dots between young people’s passion for and investment in the net zero agenda and their thinking around future careers from an early stage, we are providing information and inspiration to help them pursue rewarding green careers. This type of activity also supports the development of those key employability skills including teamwork, critical thinking, research and analysis, creative thinking, advocacy and communication which we have seen from all of the young people involved in this innovative programme.”

The programme is continuing in 2023 with the Mayor set to visit one West Yorkshire school in March to hear more students’ thoughts and ideas about the future of green skills and jobs in the region. Watch this space and our Twitter feed for further updates.