How Do Core Skills Shape the Workforce We Need for a Sustainable Future?

Christine reflects on the Northern Skills Network Showcase and why maths, English, digital and inclusion are central to the green skills agenda.

On 30th September 2025 I had the privilege of attending the Northern Skills Network – Green and Sustainable Development Showcase for the North. The event brought together colleges, training providers, employers and innovators to explore how we can accelerate the skills agenda to meet the demands of the climate emergency.

It was a reminder that sustainability is not an abstract ambition, it’s a concrete workforce challenge, and the workforce of the future needs more than technical know-how: it needs core skills, adaptability and the ability to learn in new, inclusive ways.

Some of the key takeaways for me are: 

Sustainability and the Green Economy is Global – and So Are Core Skills Needs

We cannot solve the climate crisis in isolation. Speakers highlighted projects stretching from South Africa to Peru, with UK training expertise being shared and adapted in the Global South. The message here was clear: sustainability is borderless.

For providers in the North of England, that means aligning local strategies; such as the Greater Manchester MBacc and Local Skills Improvement Plans, with global developments in energy, manufacturing and digital technologies. Learners who can collaborate, communicate and innovate across borders will be the ones who thrive.

But crucially, opportunities must be open to all learners, including those with SEND, those not in education or training (NEET) and adults retraining for new careers. A just transition to green growth is only possible if it is fully inclusive.

30 Million Green Jobs Demand New Ways of Learning

By 2050, 30 million jobs will need to be created worldwide to meet green sector demand. Traditional classroom learning cannot scale fast enough.

That’s why digital-first delivery, through platforms, simulations and blended models, was a recurring theme. Learners need to access skills “any time, any place,” without being pulled from the workplace for weeks at a time. Providers who build this flexibility into their offer will not only support learners but also win the confidence of employers. This challenge will mean that providers need to ensure that their staff are confident with the use of digital platforms and possess the digital skills needed to provide a meaningful learning experience.

For learners who face barriers, whether that’s digital poverty, SEND needs or low levels of confidence, flexible delivery also creates new opportunities. When designed inclusively, it widens participation, builds independence and makes green careers more accessible.

Core Skills Are Green Skills

One of my strongest takeaways was how Maths, English and Digital Skills are woven into every sustainability challenge:

• Maths for carbon accounting, energy budgets and ROI on interventions.
• English for sustainability reports, influencing stakeholders and communicating with global partners.
• Digital Skills for simulations, AI-enabled systems and data analysis in real time.

These aren’t just academic exercises. They are employability skills in their truest form: problem-solving, communication, numeracy and adaptability, all skills that employers consistently tell us they need.

For SEND and disadvantaged learners in particular, embedding these skills into meaningful sustainability contexts can build confidence and open career pathways that might otherwise feel out of reach.

Engagement Needs Innovation and Play

From youth converting petrol go-karts into electric e-karts, to ‘Planet Earth Games’ leaderboards driving student engagement, the Showcase underlined that gamification works.

Competition, creativity and challenge make sustainability real and exciting for learners. These approaches also provide rich contexts for embedding Maths, English and Digital Skills in ways that feel relevant rather than abstract.

And, for learners who may have struggled with traditional classroom approaches, especially those with SEND, gamified, experiential learning offers a safe space to try, fail and grow.

Leadership and Champions Drive Change

Sustainability strategies don’t succeed because of a single policy document, they succeed because of people.

The Showcase highlighted the role of champions: curriculum leads, digital innovators, pastoral staff and students themselves. Whole-organisation approaches are essential, and providers will need to identify and empower ESD champions to create momentum in order to stay ahead of the trend and thrive going forward.

Additionally, the ESD champions must keep inclusion at the centre of their approach, ensuring that young people, NEET learners, adults returning to learning and those with SEND are not left behind in the transition to a green economy.

Core Skills and Sustainability: My Reflection

Attending the Showcase reinforced something I’ve been saying for some time: green skills and core skills are inseparable. If we want a workforce that can deliver on the promises of sustainability, we must effectively integrate Maths, English and Digital Skills into every aspect of training and professional development.

For providers, that means:

• Building flexibility into delivery.
• Framing core skills as enablers of sustainability and employability.
• Empowering staff and student champions.
• Using innovation and gamification to drive engagement.
• Designing inclusive pathways that work for NEET, SEND and disadvantaged learners.
• Connecting local strategies to global challenges.

Green growth cannot be truly sustainable unless it is inclusive. By embedding core skills in ways that are relevant, contextualised and accessible, we can make the green economy work for everyone.

If we are serious about preparing learners for a net-zero economy, then core skills Maths, English, Digital Skills and inclusion, must be recognised as central to the green skills agenda. These are not “bolt-ons,” but essential enablers of employability, communication and problem-solving.

Green growth, inclusion and employability are not separate priorities: they are deeply interconnected and frameworks such as Ofsted’s Inspection Framework, the Gatsby Benchmarks and the matrix Standard all reinforce the need for integration. The question is no longer whether these skills belong in sustainability, but how we embed them into every provider’s curriculum, strategy and quality process.

For learners, especially those who are NEET, adults retraining, or those with SEND, this work is transformational. By embedding core skills into meaningful sustainability contexts, we turn barriers into opportunities; building confidence, widening participation and giving learners a real stake in the workforce of tomorrow.

A sustainable economy must also be an inclusive one. By acting now, we can ensure that the North not only contributes to global solutions but leads the way in creating a workforce that is skilled, adaptable and truly future-ready.

If you’re working on embedding sustainability in your curriculum or workforce strategy and want to explore how Maths, English and Digital Skill development can be your differentiator I’d love to connect and share ideas; get in touch.