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The Government must earmark £10 billion for 250,000 green apprenticeships over the next three years to minimise the long-term economic damage of the coronavirus pandemic, an environmental group says. Ahead of Wednesday’s budget, Friends of the Earth said subsidising the apprenticeships would help meet the Government’s net zero by 2050 goals while staving off disastrous long-term youth unemployment. Research commissioned by the charity with funding from the People’s Postcode Lottery found there are currently 500,000 16 to 24-year-olds out of work which could rise to one million by summer when the furlough scheme comes to an end. According to modelling conducted by consultancy Transition Economics, one year’s unemployment for someone aged 18 to 20 could see them lose between £42,000 and £133,000 in earnings over the next 20 years. ....
The government is under pressure to forge a green recovery from the Covid-19 shock, meet its target of net zero emissions by 2050 and build credibility on the world stage as president of the Cop26 UN climate conference later this year. Rishi Sunak, the chancellor of the exchequer, has promised green measures including a £22bn investment in a national infrastructure bank, some of which would go to low-carbon projects, and the sale of green bonds to investors. He said: “The UK is a global leader on tackling climate change, with a clear target to reach net zero by 2050 and a 10-point plan to create green jobs as we transition to a greener future. We’re also launching new competitions that will unlock innovation in renewable energy and help us develop the cutting-edge technology we need to reach net zero.” ....
Up to £10billion should be invested by the government in 250,000 green apprenticeships over the next three years to help stave off a youth unemployment crisis, a leading environmental group has urged. Friends of the Earth said such funding would cost far less than the £39billion in lost wages that it estimates would result if all currently unemployed 16 to 24-year-olds were to remain without a job for 12 months. It also argued that a green apprenticeship scheme with wage subsidies of between 50 and 100 per cent would cost £6.2billion to £10.6billion over five years and could act as a natural successor to the furlough scheme. ....
The move “would help address the crises in youth unemployment and climate breakdown”, according to a report for the environmental group by Transition Economics. It added: “The research also shows the huge potential for fighting the climate crisis with green jobs countrywide if apprenticeships are given proper Government support.” Around 500,000 people aged 16-24 are currently out of work, which could rise “substantially” when furloughs end. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is committed to overseeing a “Green Industrial Revolution” to get Britain to Net Zero – eliminating or offsetting greenhouse gas emissions – by 2050. Farmers can grow grass to make gas (Image: Tim Graham/Getty ) ....
Campaigners call for £10.6bn investment in ‘green apprenticeships’ Environmental campaigners have called for the creation of 250,000 ‘green apprenticeships’ in areas such as renewable energy as part of the effort to address the twin crises of youth unemployment and climate change. A new report published by Friends of the Earth warns that the impact of youth unemployment during the pandemic could see up to £39bn in lost wages in the UK over the following 20 years, if all young people currently unemployed remain jobless for a year. Written by Transition Economics and supported by People’s Postcode Lottery, An emergency plan on green jobs for young people – why and how?, the report argues for up to £10.6bn of Government funding to go towards wage subsidies, training, and diversity measures in order to deliver green apprenticeships. ....