Green skills are the missing link in climate action—and we’re running out of time
With climate challenges mounting and political will faltering in many places, it’s becoming clear that we can’t rely solely on the current national government policy to drive climate action. If we want a livable, fair, and sustainable future, we need skilled and empowered people who can lead the transformation.
Sure, the European Clean Industrial Deal offers hope. Decarbonisation, green jobs, a sustainable economy are essential. But here’s the reality check: we don’t have the workforce to make it happen. Not yet.
Only one in eight workers currently has a single green skill. That’s a terrifying gap when you consider what’s at stake. And we’re not just talking about technical skills here, but also about people who can think systemically, challenge disinformation, and engage with radically different perspectives. We need leaders at every level—on factory floors, in boardrooms, and within communities—who can turn climate ambition into real-world change.
Because without that, our climate pledges will stay just that—pledges.
A workforce unprepared for the green economy
Today, we know that the climate transition isn’t just about breakthroughs in technology or policy frameworks. It is also about people. And right now, we’re failing to equip them.
A recent Climate Consultancy report makes the point clear: we’ve focused on innovation and legislation while overlooking something just as critical—implementation. In other words, we’ve got the ideas, but we don’t have enough people ready to bring them to life.
And this isn’t just about engineers or climate scientists—though we absolutely need them too. Rather, every job is becoming a green job. Sustainability has become a fundamental part of how every business, government, and organisation must operate. Whether it’s procurement, finance, HR, or logistics—if you’re not thinking sustainably and systemically, you’re falling behind.
So what we need to develop are the transversal skills: systems thinking, collaboration, adaptive leadership, the ability to navigate complexity and uncertainty.
Why technical skills alone aren’t enough
Industries and governments are investing a lot into renewables, low-carbon infrastructure, and circular economy models, but they’re struggling to find people who can lead these shifts. Not just doers—but thinkers, connectors, facilitators. People who can spot system-level issues, lead with purpose, and bring others with them.
Too often, sustainability strategies stall not because the goals are flawed, but because we’re missing people with the skills—or the mandate—to embed them into the heart of business operations, governance structures, or local communities. A net-zero plan is worthless without leadership that can rally people, challenge assumptions, and turn that strategy into action.
What we’re talking about is changing the way we think, work, lead, organise, build economies and relate to one another. That means going beyond the traditional view of green jobs. Think project managers who can navigate competing interests, policy advisors who understand community dynamics, and entrepreneurs who can innovate within complex systems.
It’s about the power of connection: engineers designing a green building, policy teams advocating for incentives, business leaders securing funding, and local communities ensuring it meets real needs. That’s the magic—and the challenge—of systems change. It only works when people can work together.
With the Climate KIC Academy, we’re betting on people power
This is where the Climate KIC Academy comes in. It’s not your typical training programme—and that’s a good thing. Because this isn’t a typical challenge.
The Climate KIC Academy is designed to close the green skills gap by developing people who are strategically and socially equipped to drive change. It blends the technical with the transversal and transformative. Participants gain knowledge into sustainable urban design, circular economies, and decarbonisation frameworks and they also build critical leadership capabilities like systems thinking, communication, collaboration and influence.
A call to action for businesses, policymakers and participants
Closing the green skills gap requires a collective effort. Businesses must stop treating sustainability as an add-on and start embedding it into every role, every team, every decision. Governments need to build climate literacy into education systems—from vocational training to executive development. And schools and universities must wake up to the fact that solving the climate crisis requires more than science—it requires storytelling, collaboration, empathy, and courage.
We have to train people not just to work in the green economy, but to lead it.
This is an investment in our future. Because no matter how ambitious our climate goals are, they’ll fall flat without the people to deliver on them.
Time for action
The Climate KIC Academy isn’t just a learning platform. It’s a call to action—for funders, partners, businesses, and individuals.
Businesses can integrate the Climate KIC Academy into training programmes, policymakers can align policies to support its impact, and individuals can enrol to become the climate leaders of tomorrow.
The challenge is immense, but so is the opportunity.
