Let’s Build Your Workforce Skills

Levelling-up, Net Zero and Upskilling

The UK Government levelling-up agenda is an opportunity to transform the jobs and skills system by considering social inclusion for diverse communities. The levelling up white paper has set out 12 high level “missions”, one of which is the commitment to increase the number of adults engaged in high-quality skill training.  At the same time, the government has a emphasis on reducing economic and social inequalities across the different regions of the country through its levelling up agenda.

The question is can net zero emissions and the levelling-up agenda for communities achieved at the same time?  To benefit from economic growth and access to job opportunities it creates, people need to have the right skills which employers seek for their businesses. In this respect, levelling up is faced differently by every place in different regions of the country. Identifying the right skills to invest in is more complex for areas in need of levelling up. This is because delivering sustainable and socially inclusive economic growth in these areas will require investments, interventions and right skills according to area and its employers need.

To achieve net zero target, decarbonisation must happen in every place across the country. This will require local leadership to deliver interventions which encourage socially inclusive economic growth, increase mode shift, reduce carbon footprints and add social value. But with the impacts of moves to net zero and digitalisation require significant updating of the skills of the workforce to deliver these interventions. It is also essential that the UK workforce has the correct skills for net zero to take advantage of the jobs which will be created by new projects and initiatives.

The levelling up white paper in its sections on education and skills makes a number of statements and promises about the role of employers. The white paper asserts that via ‘employer-led’ (LSIPs), which will be put on a statutory footing, the ‘reforms will embed local employers at the heart of an increasingly devolved, outcomes-oriented system way in which skills policy is formulated and delivered’. The white paper also establishes some relatively modest targets for increases in state-funded training activity, perhaps most notably 200,000 extra adults receiving or c per annum, of which 80,000 are to live in deprived areas. 

In brief, skilled workforce and training provision to build skills are vital and can deliver the game changer projects on achieving national vision on net zero and levelling up agenda. Organisations (along with state-funded training investment) both in public and private sectors should invest in their workforce on delivering projects timely by using the right tools and value of money.

 Zeenara Najam

i-Select Consultancy

Micromobility, Levelling-Up and Net Zero

Micromobility, in the widest sense, and its electrification, presents an opportunity to achieve a reduction in private motor car use by enabling more and a wider range of people to move about without using motor vehicles.

Micromobility allows riders to ride a e-bike, or e-scooter for short journey trips of time at a relatively low cost can also enable more people to travel in this way. Research shows the 3 mile car journey can be mostly replaced by micromobility for personal travel.

Globally, micromobility is outpacing electric car adoption and shared mobility schemes increasingly offer a viable alternative for transportation needs, through electric powered bikes, scooters, mopeds and cars. As well as reducing air pollution, bikes, scooters and mopeds can also help remove parked cars from city streets providing further opportunity for regreening and community spaces.

The latest data from the Department of Transport (DfT) shows there’s been over three and a half, maybe four million journeys since e-scooter operation started in August 2020. It’s clear that there is a benefit. In 2023 the DfT will set to legislate for the micromobility provision.

Not everybody can afford a car, not everybody wants a car, and we really don’t want everyone using cars, so they are beneficial. As the cost of fuel continues to climb the price of running a car is expensive. Connectivity and accessibility are the core parts of the UK Government’s levelling up agenda, micromobility can support this.

Micromobility faces a promising future by replacing short distance vehicle trips and providing currently underserved first- and last-mile solutions for public transit riders. However, transport sector faces challenges particularly around lack of infrastructure, policy and regulation to achieve this promising future. There is a need to find the best way to integrate electric and shared vehicles to the full  transport network with other road user vehicles and to take full advantage of their potential in increasing the efficiency of the transport network.

We have launched UK’s first ever training course on Micromobility inclusion into Transport Policies and Road Network.

This one day training course will focus on defining micromobility and describing their potential for individual, business use, as well as for towns and cities as a whole. Scooters, bicycles, ebikes, power ebikes, cargo bikes and other micromobility will be assessed in terms of their proper place in streets with a description of cases for personal, business and freight. The course will present case studies from international experiences.

Our course trainer Carlos F Pedro, with 20 years of experience in urban mobility spanning on four continents, says 

“The transport sector is ill prepared for micromobility, but the good news is that solving this is straightforward. This course is designed to learn how to understand and act upon that disruption”.

The course will discuss the impact and benefits of micromobility in achieving net zero carbon emissions. This will be presented based on case studies from international experiences. Please contact us and book your workforce bring micromobility experiences on their doorstep.

Zeenara Najam

i-Select Consultancy