About the Academy | Climate KIC

Our story

The world is changing, and the shift toward a sustainable economy is no longer a distant goal—it’s happening now. Yet, as industries adapt to meet this challenge, a critical gap is emerging: the workforce lacks the skills needed to deliver the green transition effectively. Just one in eight workers have at least one green skill necessary to deliver sustainability ambitions. This mismatch highlights an urgent problem: we are not moving fast enough to build the skills necessary for transformative climate action.

But there’s more to the challenge. While technical green skills like renewable energy installation, carbon accounting, and sustainable engineering are essential, they’re not enough. The real bottleneck is this: many people don’t yet have the transversal skills—the leadership, communication, and systems-thinking abilities—to drive change effectively. Climate solutions can’t thrive without people who know how to collaborate across sectors, navigate entrenched power dynamics, and inspire action at all levels of society.

The Climate KIC Academy was created to bridge both parts of the gap. Our programmes integrate technical knowledge (delivered by our partners or our internal team) with the essential transversal skills that are often overlooked. We prepare individuals not just to understand the challenges but to lead through them—bringing together policy, industry, technology, and grassroots action to accelerate meaningful change.

Whether you’re a professional seeking to enter the green economy, a corporate leader redesigning sustainability strategy, or a community advocate pushing for local solutions, you will be equipped to create a systemic impact. The Academy doesn’t just provide skills for today—it’s building resilience and vision for tomorrow.

The green transition needs leaders who can think, connect, and act differently.

Why learn with Climate KIC

Our Academy helps integrate climate action into all aspects of leadership so that together we can boost green leadership skills, advance the green transition and shift mindsets. We also look at social, economic, international and national climate action policy, and explore how collaboration across sectors supports collective climate action.

Increase knowledge and understanding of climate change science, policy, and relevance to your local context.

Person writing on a whitebpard during a business meeting

Outline the fundamentals of working collectively through leadership to influence positive change at organisational and community levels.

Build local capacity to foster and demonstrate leadership in developing and implementing local climate action measures.

Why choose the Climate KIC Academy?

By choosing the Climate KIC Academy, you join a global network of leaders committed to reshaping the way we live, work, and collaboratively innovate to help create a fairer future. You’ll gain actionable knowledge, connect with like-minded people, and (hopefully) find joy in the collective effort to address climate change. We’re not just solving problems—we’re diving into exploring what approaches actually need to be taken to move things along day to day.

Who is this for

Business team during a meeting in the office

Are you a city leader or government official? An urban planner or a social scientist? A psychologist or an entrepreneur? Or maybe an innovation or development leader?

Whatever your expertise, our learning formats are customisable to your or your organisation’s needs. We bring people together and explore what it takes – as individuals and as organisations – to make an effective and rapid systemic change for a net-zero future.

Our Methodology

Climate KIC Academy uses a hands-on and challenge-based approach to learning, helping people strengthen the skills needed for climate leadership. Instead of just focusing on theory, it teaches through real-world examples and practical problem-solving. The Academy blends different learning methods, such as in-person workshops, online tools, and interactive sessions, making learning more engaging and effective. This approach helps individuals gain the confidence, creativity, and critical thinking skills needed to tackle climate challenges and create sustainable solutions.

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