Investment in sustainability skills and lifelong-learning for the UK's workforce will prove crucial to the success of the UK's industrial strategy, according to IEMA.
In its response to the government’s green paper consultation, IEMA said the introduction of an industrial strategy had the potential to focus the economy on sustainable, long-term success. It would also act as a platform for creating and supporting the businesses, jobs and the workforce of the future.
However, IEMA warned that there was a major gap in current proposals, believing the strategy should focus more on enhancing UK productivity through material and resource efficiency, resource resilience and the circular economy.
Martin Baxter, IEMA’s chief policy advisor, said skills would be critical to achieving the vision set out in the green paper: ‘This is an opportunity to align learning, skills and the demands of the economy, and we urge the government to embed this in the UK’s industrial future.’
