Young people locked out of green careers, as Co-op launches Green Opportunities Fund

Young people are at risk of being locked out the growing green economy, as new research highlights significant barriers to accessing green skills and careers, particularly for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

The findings have been published alongside the launch of Co-op’s £2 million Green Opportunities Fund, delivered by its charity the Co-op Foundation, which will support initiatives helping young people build the skills, confidence and networks needed to access green jobs. 

The Green Opportunities report identifies a range of common barriers preventing young people from entering green careers, including: 

• Limited awareness and understanding of green career pathways. 

• Financial barriers and the cost of training or entry routes. 

• Lack of local opportunities and exposure to green industries. 

• Confidence and identity barriers, with some young people feeling green careers are ‘not for people like me’. 

These challenges risk reinforcing existing inequalities at a time when demand for workers is growing across sustainable farming, renewable energy, home retrofitting, electric vehicle infrastructure and nature restoration. 

Today’s announcement responds to earlier research commissioned by Co-op in 2023, ‘Gen Z(ero): Creating a pathway to a greener, fairer future’, which shows that while young people care deeply about climate change and want to be part of the transition to net zero, many have low awareness of how green jobs and the wider net zero agenda connect to their own lives and futures. That research also highlights that young people from lower income backgrounds, ethnic minority communities and those with disabilities are more likely to face barriers to engagement and opportunity. 

With the UK continuing to make progress in reducing carbon emissions, the Green Opportunities Report warns that failing to widen access to green skills and careers risks slowing progress and entrenching inequality, unless targeted action is taken to ensure the transition is fair and inclusive. 

The £2 million Co-op Green Opportunities Fund will be funded through the proceeds from the sale of compostable carrier bags at Co-op stores across the UK. The fund will invest in organisations supporting young people to gain the skills, confidence and connections needed to access green careers, with a focus on communities historically excluded from the transition to net zero. 

The fund is expected to support a range of activity, including training, mentoring, accredited programmes, community led projects and partnerships with employers, including in food and farming. 

By supporting access to green skills and opportunity, the Co-op Foundation aims to contribute to a stronger, fairer and more sustainable UK economy, one in which the benefits of the transition to net zero are shared more evenly. 

Shirine Khoury-Haq, Group CEO of Co-op, said: ‘Like us, young people across the country care deeply about caring for the environment and protecting nature, but too many feel jobs in the green economy of the future is out of reach.  

‘At Co-op we remain committed to delivering our net zero ambitions and encouraging every community, business and government to play their part. We also remain rooted in our view that talent and skills are distributed evenly across the country, but opportunities are not. 

‘That is why investing in young people’s skills – from rural communities to inner cities – is one of the most important ways we are backing Britain’s future. 

‘The £2 million investment we are announcing today will help young people build the opportunities and confidence they need to shape a greener, fairer, future.’

Nick Crofts, CEO of the Co-op Foundation, said: ‘It s fantastic to be co-operating with Co-op to work towards our ambition to make green jobs both desirable and accessible to young people, particularly those that are underrepresented in green industries.  

‘The Co-op Green Opportunities Fund will contribute to creating communities that look to a more sustainable future with equal access to opportunity. I am proud that not only have we used research to guide us where to focus this funding, but that we have worked with young people to develop this fund. We are passionate that no decisions are made about young people, without young people.’