Global Guidance for
Education on Green Jobs
C onnec t i n g H i g h e r E du c at i o n an d G re en
O ppor t u n i t i e s f o r Pl an et ary Heal t h

2021

GLOBAL GUIDANCE FORTABLE OF CONTENTSEDUCATION ON GREEN JOBSACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

1

INTRODUCTION

2

Audience and purpose

3

Cross-sector collaboration

4

Three key actions

6

GREEN JOBS

7

Green job opportunities

8

Green entrepreneurship

10

Green lens for every job

11

RESOURCES FOR ACTIONS

12Knowledge enhancement

13

Competency and skills development

16

Job opportunities

19

INVITATION

22

Community of practice

CONNECTING HIGHER EDUCATION AND GREENOPPORTUNITIES FOR PLANETARY HEALTH

1

Acknowledgements
Authors
Mari Nishimura (United Nations Environment Programme – UNEP)
Debra Rowe (US Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development)

Reviewers
The authors would like to thank the many experts that reviewed andcontributed to this document:
Tahmina Mahmud (International Labour Organization – ILO)
Olga Strietska (ILO)
Alexander Leicht (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – UNESCO)
Jun Morohashi (UNESCO)
Kenneth Abraham Barrientos (UNESCO)
Meredith Storey (Sustainable Development Solutions Network – SDSN)
Hilligje van't Land (International Association of Universities – IAU)
Isabel Toman (IAU)
Iain Patton (The Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education – EAUC)Sam Barratt (UNEP)
Adele Roccato (UNEP)
Thomas Showalter (National Youth Employment Coalition)
Angus Mackay (United Nations Institute for Training and Research – UNITAR)
Nikki Hodgson (UNITAR)
Julia Villalba (UNITAR)Tu Chi Nguyen (World Bank*)
Ashok Sarkar (World Bank*)
Yao Zhao (World Bank*)
Alona Kazantseva (World Bank*)*The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Energy Global Practice team at the World BankSamah Elsayed (International Renewable Energy Agency – IRENA)
Zehra Aydin (retired UNEP, Fellow U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development)
Hannah Leland (U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development)
Riccardo Savigliano (United Nations Industrial Development Organization – UNIDO)
Kenth Mattias Larsen (UNIDO)
Giorgia Epicoco (UNIDO)
Amanda Lange Salvia (Green Office University of Passo Fundo – UPF)

Reproduction
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services without special permission from the copyright holder, provided acknowledgement of thesource is made. United Nations Environment Programme would appreciate receiving a copy of any
publication that uses this publication as a source.
No use of this publication may be made for resale or any other commercial purpose whatsoever
without prior permission in writing from the United Nations Environment Programme. Applications forsuch permission, with a statement of the purpose and extent of the reproduction, should be addressedto the Director, Communication Division, United Nations Environment Programme, P.O.Box 30552,
Nairobi 00100, Kenya.

2

Introduction
Over 200 million students are currently enrolled in the higher education
system and this number is predicted to double by 2030. Yet, 71 million
unemployed youth are currently struggling to find a job, a situation only
exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The good news, however, is that thetransition to a green economy will add an estimated 60 million new jobs tothe market by 2030. According to the International Labour Organization(ILO), “The green transition can generate millions of jobs, but these areconditional on the availability of relevant skills and training.” 1
The pressure that COVID-19 has put on educational and training institutions has
already caused significant disruptions in education, including graduation delays
and reductions of number of graduates for an unprecedented number of
institutions. Recent improvements in reducing poverty are reversing, particularly
among women and other marginalized groups. 2 As well as improving
environmental health, an effective transition to a green economy will increase
economic vibrancy and improve human well-being.

1 ILO (2019). Skills for a Greener Future: A Global View pg. 188
2 UNDESA (2020). UN Sustainable Development Goals Report 2020 pg.40

3

Audience andpurposeThe primary audience for thisGlobal Guidance document is thehighereducationcommunity.
However, other educators, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs),
governments, employers and youth
organizations
will
find
this
document useful for strategicplanning and collaborative efforts
with higher education and eachother. It provides an overview of the
topic, with connections to many
resources, and it includes key
actions for educators preparing
students to participate in the justtransition to a green and more
inclusive economy.
These actions are essential toprevent large-scale human sufferingdue
toclimateinstability,
ecosystem
degradation
andeconomic
disruptions.
This
document also includes vetted
resources for senior administrators,
curricular developers, organizational
staff, educators and employers.

JUST TRANSITION“A JUST TRANSITION CREATESDECENT WORK OPPORTUNITIESFOR ALL AND ENSURES THATSOCIAL PROTECTION EXISTS
WHERE NEEDED. IT ALSOINCLUDES MECHANISMS FORSOCIAL DIALOGUE FROM THE
PRIVATE SECTOR AND WORKERS’
UNIONS THROUGHOUTPOLICYMAKING PROCESSES AT
ALL LEVELS.” 3
These key actions and resources
support an emerging international
trend in curricula and research toemphasize problem-solving for the
SDGs. It builds upon preexisting
strategies
foreducation(e.g.
4
UNESCO/ UNEVOC ) and the current
work on greening the workforce (e.g.
5green jobs publications from ILO_
and green jobs resources from thePartnership for Action on Green
6
Economy – PAGE ). It also supports
the fulfilment of national andinternational commitments andalignswithotherresource
documents
(e.g.
The
Paris
7
Agreement, the UNESCO Integrating
Action for Climate Empowerment
into
Nationally
Determined
8
Contributions, and the UNESCO
Educationfor
Sustainable
9Development Roadmap ).

3 ILO (2017). SDG Note: Green Jobs pg. 12
4 UNESCO/ UNEVOC
5 Green jobs publications from ILO
6 Green jobs resources from the Partnership for Action on Green Economy – PAGE
7 The Paris Agreement
8 UNESCO Integrating Action for Climate Empowerment into Nationally Determined Contributions
9 UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development Roadmap

4

Cross-sector collaboration
The science of climate change and ecosystem health demands bold and
immediate changes to our societal norms. Green growth can be a pathway to10

inclusive prosperity. To accomplish this, all sectors of society must expand on
their previous roles and collaborate with each other. The education sector needs
to work closely with businesses, governments, local communities, non-profit
organizations and associations to co-create the vision and implement the plans,
policies and processes required for an inclusive green economy. Higher
education can act as a convener to encourage cross-sector collaboration.

10 GGGI (2020). The Promise of Green Growth: A Pathway to Prosperity While Achieving National and Global
Ambitions5

These collaborations have the potential to produce the necessary financing,policies, market demand, and training and education of the new and existing
11

workforce. This includes policymakers, investors and business leaders. According
to the United Nations General Assembly, “closer collaboration will also be
required across Government ministries in order to devise integrated strategies
encompassing public policies in the areas of education, youth, industrialization
12

and rural development.” Labour standards for companies are required to ensure
green jobs are safe, have decent pay, and provide opportunities and pathways
13

for career growth. To maintain a healthy green entrepreneurship ecosystem,
green entrepreneurship must be supported by all sectors.

11 Platform for Advancing Green Human Capital (2017). Advancing Green Human Capital - A Framework For
Policy Analysis And Guidance.
12 Zabin, C. et. al. (2020) Putting California on the High Road: A Jobs and Climate Action
Plan for 2030.
13 Decent Jobs for Youth (2019) Thematic report on Growing Green - Fostering a Green Entrepreneurial
Ecosystem for Youth6

Three key actions
Higher education institutions of all types can help students reach
their academic and professional potential via three key actions:

1

Across curricula in all majors and degrees,
includeenvironmental
sustainability
andlearning outcomes related to growing an
inclusive green workforce and economy. This will
prepare students for the growing numbers ofgreen jobs. 14 Such curricular updates will also
help students make decisions that support an
inclusive and green economy in their adult roles
as consumers, community members, employees
or employers, family members, and investors.

2

For educators and trainers: Through enhanced
professional development, equip educators,
trainers and other staff with the ability to teachstudents the competencies and skills requiredfor green jobs.

KNOWLEDGE
ENHANCEMENTSKILLS AND
COMPETENCYDEVELOPMENT3JOB

OPPORTUNITIESFor students: Through curricular updates, include
change management competencies and specificgreen skills so students are prepared to green
the local and global economies.

Strengthen ties between potential employers,
educators and students to gain employers’ input
into curricular updates and increase job
placements.

Resources for each of these key action areas are included in the following sections. We
now have a crucial opportunity to create a more sustainable future. We must advance togreener education and workforce development for every country, by changing businessas-usual and building back better. This will help resolve our urgent unemployment
issues while creating more equitable employment opportunities.

14 ILO (2016). What is a green job?

7

Green jobs

ILO defines "green jobs" as decent jobs that contribute to, preserve, or restore theenvironment, whether they are in traditional sectors such as manufacturing andconstruction, or in newer and quickly growing green sectors such as renewableenergy and energy efficiency.

These jobs include the technicians educatedthrough technical institutions and the business managers, marketers, financiers,
engineers and others typically educated through universities. Green jobs help:
improve energy and raw materials efficiency
eliminate greenhouse gas emissions
eliminate waste and pollution
protect and restore ecosystems and human healthsupport adaptation to the effects of climate change

15 ILO (2016). What is a green job?

15

8Green job
opportunities

Every country is well-suited to benefit from the opportunities of green jobs,
which are growing more quickly than other jobs globally. Some of these quickly
growing job areas with significant positive environmental impacts include:
Built environment: technology, energy, transport, buildings andinfrastructure
16

Renewable energy sector employed 11.5 million people in 2019.

With added

investment, jobs in renewables could reach 42 million by 2050, with another21.3 million in energy efficiency and 14.5 million people in jobs related to17

power grids and energy flexibility.

Infrastructure sectors where energy services are key inputs include
construction, transportation and sanitation.
Natural environment: agriculture, forestry, fisheries and watershedmanagement

Organic farming, sustainable agriculture and green food manufacturing are
more labour intensive than conventional production.
Adoption of sustainable management practices accounts for 362–630 millionof employment gains by 2050.18
Sustainable agribusiness and fisheries help the entire value chain to be moreinnovative and sustainable through the use of climate-smart technology to
mitigate and adapt to climate change, as well as sustainable procurement
policy.

16 IRENA (2020). Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review
17 IRENA (2020). Global Renewables Outlook 2020
18 FAO (2012). Green Jobs for a Revitalized Food and Agriculture Sector

9Sectors most affected by the transition tosustainability in the energy sector
Industries set to experience
the highest job demand growth (absolute)

Industries set to experience
the strongest job demand decline (absolute)

SectorJobs(millions)

SectorJobs(millions)

Construction

6.5

Petroleum refinery-1.6

Manufacture of electricalmachinery and apparatus

2.5

Extraction of crude petroleum andservices related to crude oil
extraction, excluding surveying-1.4

Mining of copper ores andconcentrates

1.2

Production of electricity by coal

-0.8

Production of electricity byhydropower

0.8

Mining of coal and lignite, peat
extraction-0.7

Cultivation of vegetables,
fruit, nuts

0.8

Private households with
employed persons-0.5

Production of electricity bysolar photovoltaics

0.8

Manufacture of gas, distributionof gaseous fuels through mains-0.3

Source: ILO, World Employment and Social Outlook 2018 Greening with Jobs, 201819

GEO-6 for Youth from UNEP looks at the green jobs that are likely to be part ofthe more sustainable world we are trying to build, how technologies arechanging, and how a circular economy might change the type of jobs that areavailable. The soon-to-be-released Clean Energy Employment Assessment
20
Tool__from
the World Bank helps countries assess future direct and indirect job

growth due to the emerging green economy.

19 GEO-6 for Youth
20 Clean Energy Employment Assessment Tool

10

Green
entrepreneurship

Many of the jobs necessary for an inclusive and green economy do not yet exist
but can be created by green entrepreneurs. Such entrepreneurs have alreadycreated many career pathways: energy managers and energy auditors, solar
photovoltaic manufacturers, clean cooking stove providers, and carbon offset
retailers, to name a few. Youth in the informal economy as well as students
can be more successful in the green economy if they have learned
entrepreneurship skills and an entrepreneurial mindset.

11Green lens forevery job

There are hundreds of green and sustainability job categories that go beyond thesolar designer or the wind generator installer that many people characterize as agreen job. A quick job search shows tens of thousands of job postings, but there
are more green jobs than existing job postings suggest.
Green jobs produce goods or provide services that benefit the environment or
use fewer natural resources. This means any job that includes choices about how
and which resources to consume can be a green job, from simple choices suchas ordering office supplies to choosing energy sources and carrying out complex
product development. "To reach the goal of creating an environmentally
sustainable world, every job will eventually need to be green or at least greener." 21
Students can bring their sustainability literacy to any job to help create a greener
economy, acting as a green intrapreneur for organizational change. To be
successful at greening a company, students need to understand how to assess
the organization’s formal and informal power structure as well as its products
and processes, find the opportunities to shift the organization to greener
practices and build the coalition of support necessary to create the changes.
Helping students learn to be systems thinkers and effective change
managers is a key component of quality education for a green economy.

Further, students can help create an inclusive and green economy when theireducation prepares them to apply this knowledge not only to theirprofessions but also within their adult roles as consumers, voters,
community members and investors.

21 UNEP (2021), GEO-6 for Youth, chapter 4, page 173

12Resources for actions?won od noitacude rehgih nac tahWThis section explains what universities, Technical andVocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions
and other educators can do.

Employers, NGOs,

governments and youth organizations will also findthis information useful.
The strategies and resources below help implement
the three key actions, build student interest in green
and sustainability jobs, grow student talent to build asustainable

future,andconnect

them

to

job

opportunities. Many of the suggested resources also
include promising practices from leading institutions.
Students

cansimultaneously

build

their

employability skills and contribute to the sustainable
development

solutions,

therebyproducingahealthier economy and environment and improvedsocial well-being.

13

1

KNOWLEDGE
ENHANCEMENT

Curricular content changes: Integrate environmental sustainability
concepts and green career pathways information throughout the curriculaand co-curricular programming in TVET institutions and universities sothat all students understand the urgent sustainability issues and have theknowledge and motivation to create and participate in solutions. Thisknowledge and motivation includes:
SDGs and green economy core concepts: Students understand the SDGs
and the potentials for an inclusive green economy as part of the reorientation
framework. There are many resources available to educators e.g. Educationfor Sustainable Development Goals: learning objectives,22 Introduction toGreen Economy,23 UNESCO-UNEP-ILO Youth Xchange: Green Skills and24
Lifestyles Guidebook.
Self-concept and motivation: Students continue to build their sense of whothey want to be in the world during their higher education experience. If they
aspire to help build an inclusive, sustainable and green economy, they will
use the knowledge productively. Educators need to address this explicitly toprovide students with the necessary motivations.

Professional development offerings: Provide materials, professional
development opportunities, and incentives for faculty and other relevant
staff to get involved in environmental sustainability and green jobs,
including but not limited to the teaching of specific sets of green skills.
Utilize materials from UN CC: Learn,25 PAGE - Learning for a Green
Recovery,26 SDG Academy - Work and Employment for a Sustainable
Future,27 the UNEVOC,28 the Sustainability Education and Economic
Development Resource Center (SEED Center),29Accelerating Education for
the SDG in Universities (SDSN),30 UVED (Virtual University of Environment
and Sustainable Development, France) 31and others. Your faculty and staff
can sign up for upcoming webinars and a discussion series providing
some of this professional development.

22 Education for Sustainable Development Goals: learning objectives
23 Introduction to Green Economy
24 UNESCO-UNEP-ILO Youth Xchange: Green Skills and Lifestyles Guidebook
25 UN CC: Learn
26 PAGE - Learning for a Green Recovery
27 SDG Academy - Work and Employment for a Sustainable Future
28 UNEVOC
29 Sustainability Education and Economic Development Resource Center (SEED Center)30 Accelerating Education for the SDG in Universities (SDSN)
31 UVED - Virtual University of Environment and Sustainable Development, France

14

Green Jobs and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
All aspects of green economy and just transition are interrelated tosustainability challenges and therefore to the Sustainable Development
Goals. Correspondingly, green jobs have several direct and indirectconnections with these Global Goals. Some of them are explored below:

SDG 4 supports the promotion of Green Jobs especially for having
dedicated targets to the promotion of technical and vocational skills
for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship, as well as toensure that the knowledge and skills acquired promote sustainable
development.

Renewable energy and energy efficiency are among the main sectors
discussed for a greener economy and for opportunities for green
jobs. SDG 7 has specific targets to promote these aspects along withimproved energy access, expanded infrastructure and upgradedtechnology.
In addition to committing to entrepreneurship and to the creation ofdecent jobs for all, SDG 8 also supports green jobs for focusing on
improving global resource efficiency in consumption andproduction.
Making cities and communities more sustainable (SDG 11)
encompasses multiple aspects, such as sustainable transportsystems,sustainableurbanization
andmanagement,
and
implementation of policies on resource efficiency, climate action
and resiliency – all opportunities to be covered by green jobs.
Improving raw materials efficiency and eliminating waste andpollution are among the expected outcomes of green jobs, as well asof the core aims of sustainable production and consumption (SDG
12).
Green jobs are concerned with the impacts of climate action while
promoting adaptation and mitigation strategies. SDG 13 focused on
Climate Action and has targets to support these connections –including capacity and awareness-raising.

Additional related SDG connections were explored here.
Full list of SDGs and targets can be seen here.

15

Career advising: Share how bringing a green lens to any job is worthwhileand necessary, and provide resources on career pathways and job postingsites to career advisers, teaching staff and students (e.g. Green andSustainability Jobs: Careers Resources).32

Standards and accreditation: Work with academic societies andprofessional associations to integrate green topics into requirements forthe major and accreditation criteria. Examples include accreditation inengineering and the Disciplinary Associations Network for Sustainability.33

Institutional alignment: Adapt performance appraisal criteria for senioradministrators and other key positions to include the integration ofenvironmental sustainability into tertiary education. Designed by over adozen professional associations in higher education, this primer provides
descriptions and examples of what senior administrators can accomplish.
34
The Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium calls forsustainability to be integrated into job descriptions and performanceappraisals.

Institutional assessment: Utilize assessment tools to guide theinstitutions’ actions regarding green workforce development, such as theGreen Genome self-assessment 35 and the Greening TVET Monitoring and36
Assessment Framework. These assessments (in the appendices of these
two resources) cover what an integrated approach to sustainability,
greening the workforce and economic development would look like, andhow a college would know whether it was making progress towards longterm
systemicchange.
WhileoriginallydesignedforTVET
institutions/community colleges, these assessments include a wholeinstitution approach and apply to all higher education institutions.

32 Green and Sustainability Jobs: Careers Resources
33 Disciplinary Associations Network for Sustainability
34 Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium
35 Green Genome self-assessment
36 Greening TVET Monitoring and Assessment Framework

16

2

SKILLS AND
COMPETENCYDEVELOPMENT
Curricular changes- Change agent competencies: Update all existing curricula and design new
curricula that include within the learning outcomes the competencies needed
to be an effective change agent for the SDGs and the creation of an inclusive,
green economy.

While TVET institutions and universities must both teach specific skills for green
jobs, universities have a crucial role in helping students become change agentsto create the transitions we urgently need.
A rich literature on this topic is creating an emerging consensus calling for thefollowing key competencies to be taught across all academic disciplines:
Strategic-thinking,
Values-thinking,Futures-thinking,
Systems-thinking,37
Integrated problem-solving, Interpersonal and Intrapersonal. Students need tolearn about climate change and other SDG topics in ways that build their agency
for effective action. Applied at scale, this will shift the conceptualization of38
education outcomes from being "issue-based" to "action-based". Educators alsoneed to better develop, train and support students to conduct societally relevant
39
research.
- Civic engagement: Include civic engagement in curricula so students
understand how to advocate for organizational and governmental policies
40
necessary for the transition to an inclusive green economy e.g. GEO-6 for Youth,_41
42
Green Growth Knowledge Platform, Teach the Future, Beyond Doom and43
Gloom: Climate Solutions, Green Industrial Policy: Concept, Policies, Country
44
Experiences.

37 Brundiers, K., Barth, M., Cebrián, G. et al . (2021). Key competencies in sustainability in higher education—
toward an agreed-upon reference framework. Sustainability Science, 16, 13–29.
38 De Meyer, K. et al. (2021). Transforming the stories we tell about climate change: from 'issue' to 'action',
Environmental Research Letters, 16(1), 015002.
39 Rozance, M. A. et al. (2020). Building capacity for societally engaged climate science by transforming
science training, Environmental Research Letters, 15(12), 125008.
40 GEO-6 for Youth
41 Green Growth Knowledge Platform
42 Teach the Future
43 Beyond Doom and Gloom: Climate Solutions
44 Green Industrial Policy: Concept, Policies, Country Experiences

17- Green jobs skills: Update (and design new) curricula to include skills needed
for green jobs utilizing employer input and related publications e.g. green jobs
publications from ILO,45 Skills for a Greener Future: A Global View, 46 Powering
Jobs Census: 2019 47 from Power for All, Clean Energy Workforce US,48 Knowledge
and Skills Statements for Greening Career Clusters,49 and Green Industrial Skills
for Sustainable Future 50 from UNIDO. It is important to reduce a skills and jobs
mismatch. Include ongoing updates of changes in job skills via job task analyses
and information from labor and employer groups. It is important tocommunicate with local employers to clarify what skills are desired. For example,
some solar and wind employers want students to learn basic mechanical,
electrical and safety skills for initial employment, and complete the rest of the
training within the company.

In addition to communications on skill needs, it is equally important for students
to be able to test their skills and improve them so that they become highly
qualified graduates ready for employment. For example, within the Learning andKnowledge Development Facility 51 (LKDF), UNIDO runs projects that set up
training programmes, in cooperation with public and private sectors to ensure
the skills are developed and tested on the job. This approach has proven to offer
a long-term impact in ensuring skill matches.
Incorporate information on present and projected skills shortages for bothteachers and students. Learning happens throughout life, after formal education.
Learning is about changes that we face every day and how we foster knowledge
while developing individual skills. Therefore, trainings of trainers ensure future
generation are taught effectively and strategically with up-to-date knowledge
and trainings.
Teach students the specifics of how to help grow the inclusive, green economy
e.g. Green Finance Platform, 52 Solar jobs task analysis for North America,53 andSkills development for renewable energy and energy efficient jobs,54 Leveraging
skills to build on existing industries 55 and Knowledge/skills for a circular
economy.56
Teach students the specific skills related to their career pathway at all TVET andtechnical/training institutions with a whole-institution approach i.e. Greening
technical and vocational education and training: a practical guide for
institutions,57 and Green skills and innovation for inclusive growth.58 Whiledesigned for the TVET institutions, these documents are also applicable touniversities.

45 Green jobs publications from ILO
46 Skills for a Greener Future: A Global View
47 Powering Jobs Census: 201948 Clean Energy Workforce US
49 Knowledge and Skills Statements for Greening Career Clusters
50 Green Industrial Skills for Sustainable Future
51 Learning and Knowledge Development Facility
52 Green Finance Platform
53 Solar jobs task analysis for North America
54 Skills development for renewable energy and energy efficient jobs
55 Leveraging skills to build on existing industries
56 Knowledge/skills for a circular economy
57 Greening technical and vocational education and training: a practical guide for institutions
58 Green skills and innovation for inclusive growth18- Entrepreneurship: Include green entrepreneurship skills in curricula e.g. Start
and Improve Your Business Programme59 and Green Business Booklet 60 by ILO,
Addressing climate challenges with innovation 61 by WIPO, Youth Employment
and Entrepreneurship 62 by UNEVOC, How to Start an Eco-Friendly Small-Scale
Business 63 by WWF, MOOC based on the Handbook and Workbook for Green
Entrepreneurs in the Mediterranean by UNDP, Women Entrepreneurs as Key
Drivers in the Decentralised Renewable Energy Sector: Best Practices andInnovative Business Models 64 by ARE, A Handbook for Energy Entrepreneurs 65 by
UNEP.

Pedagogy: Use applied projects and applied research as highimpact learning practices:66- Focus on solutions: Utilize the Key Components of Quality Assignments.__
Help faculty and staff improve student learning by creating applied projects andresearch assignments relevant to existing real world green economy issues.

- Transdisciplinary: Include interdisciplinary approaches and use the campus
and communities as a living laboratory to help develop the green and inclusive
economy.
- Applied learning: Equip students with opportunities to apply skills andknowledge necessary to pursue green careers via real world projects and appliedresearch, connected to communities and employers using models like
Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities 67 with specific projects(e.g. helping a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning company start a solar
division, conducting energy audits for businesses and NGOs, providing and/or
assessing the effectiveness of workshops for the community on
68
mitigating/adapting to climate change). The international version of For Good__
connects real-world projects with interested students- Institutional incentives: Create reward structures for more applied learningand applied research (e.g. value applied research journals and pedagogy for
applied projects more in credit towards tenure and promotions).

59 Start and Improve Your Business Programme
60 Green Business Booklet
61 Addressing climate challenges with innovation
62 Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship
63 How to Start an Eco-Friendly Small-Scale Business
64 Women Entrepreneurs as Key Drivers in the Decentralised Renewable Energy Sector: Best Practices andInnovative Business Models
65 A Handbook for Energy Entrepreneurs (please note the annexes are outdated in this otherwise useful
document)
66 Key Components of Quality Sustainability Assignments
67 Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities
68 For Good

19

3
JOB

OPPORTUNITIESAdvising on career pathways: Have faculty advisers and careeradvisers/offices share with students information about: 1) green career
pathways, 2) bringing a green lens to any job, and 3) entrepreneurial
69
opportunities e.g. Green and Sustainability Jobs: Career Resources andSustainable Energy Jobs Platform.70- Advisor trainings: Periodic trainings of career advisers are profitable for not
only for advisers but also for institutions and students. When advisers are up-todate with pressing global issues and job market trends, they are able to provide
optimized guidance to students.
- Skills awareness: Organise a “Skills day for Green Economy” – invite
professionals, as well as programme alumni or others who are representative of
the institution’s student body in technical sectors as guest speakers andworkshop leaders.
- Access to job listings: Provide job listing sites eg. green and sustainability job
sites and career resources.71- Green careers resources: Provide resources to explore green jobs,
skills/competencies, and career pathways e.g. IRENA’s Renewable Energies andJobs - Annual Review, 72
The Sustainability Education and Economic
Development (SEED) Resource Center,73 Nature Hires: How nature-based
solutions can power a green jobs recovery.74

69 Green and Sustainability Jobs: Career Resources
70 Sustainable Energy Jobs Platform
71 Green and sustainability job sites and career resources
72 IRENA’s Renewable Energies and Jobs - Annual Review
73 The Sustainability Education and Economic Development (SEED) Resource Center
74 Nature Hires: How nature-based solutions can power a green jobs recovery

20- Gender disparity: IRENA's survey on women in renewables found that women
represent only 32 per cent of the renewable energy workforce. Of this, 45 percent are in administrative roles, 35 per cent in non-STEM (science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics) technical roles and only 28 per cent in STEM
jobs. Addressing this requires targeted actions including scholarships,
mentoring, and early exposure for girls well before they reach higher education.75

Feature resources for women to close the gender gap in clean energy and green
76
economy careers e.g. Women at the Forefront Programme, Women Take Next
Step for Energy Sector Leadership,77 African Women in Energy Development
Initiative,78 Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energies,79 Powering
80
Equality: Women’s Entrepreneurship Transforming Asia’s Energy Sector.
Entrepreneurship:
Featureresourcesthatdemonstrategreen
entrepreneurship e.g. Meet the Entrepreneurs Leading the Transition to a Green
Economy.81- Communications: Signpost on campus so that people can explore andunderstand the need for students to be educated for green jobs e.g. Green andSustainability Jobs Poster 82 and Ecoleaders Career Center Poster.83

75 IRENA (2019), Renewable Energy: A Gender Perspective. IRENA, Abu Dhabi.
76 Women at the Forefront Programme
77 Women Take Next Step for Energy Sector Leadership
78 African Women in Energy Development Initiative
79 Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energies
80 Powering Equality: Women’s Entrepreneurship Transforming Asia’s Energy Sector
81 Meet the Entrepreneurs Leading the Transition to a Green Economy
82 Green and Sustainability Jobs Poster
83 Ecoleaders Career Center Poster21

Student – employer – faculty connections:- Career days and apps: Organize opportunities for students to learn about

green career pathways by meeting potential employers and engaging with
programme alumni as role models and for networking. Provide broader accessto this information 24/7 via mobile phone apps.
- Employer engagement: Organize recruiters’ visits to campus to promote
green job opportunities, enhance job placements and continuously improvecurricula. Help employers understand how to connect effectively with higher
84
education e.g. ways employers can connect.
- Apprenticeships etc.: Increase the number of apprenticeship opportunities,

on-the-job learning and internship opportunities related to green careers.
- Job shadowing: Organize accredited job shadowing programmes between

students and employers.
- Green businesses development: Offer workshops and convene conferences

for business owners about how to grow their business and improve their profits
by going green. Have trade associations, Chambers of Commerce and local
governments co-host. Students can make professional connections and help
businesses develop their green potentials during subsequent applied learningand research projects.
- Coaching by alumni in green positions: Experience speaks louder thanwords. Alumni with successful pathways in green positions are well-suited todirect students towards green opportunities.

Curricular – career connections: "Successful human resources
development will require better connections between education andemployment so as to turn qualifications into jobs." 85 Curricular andprogramme developers should include the projected jobs in a growing
green economy and the anticipated skill sets required when designing
curricula. University leaders can develop an important interface between
future-oriented employers, program alumni and curricular developers tofacilitate an ongoing dialogue to advance these new skill sets. Utilizing a
tripartite system that incorporates government, future-oriented
businesses, and organized labour can develop a curriculum that is
responsive to the needs of firms and create pathways to sustainable
livelihoods.
84 Ways employers can connect
85 UN General Assembly Document A/72/292 (UNGA, 2017). Human resources development for the twentyfirst century - Report of the Secretary-General pg. 16

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Invitation
By sharing these opportunities and utilizing the above
resources, we can build back better and address both
environmental health and youth unemployment through ourhigher education and workforce development systems. To
complement these resources, UNEP is facilitating a Communityof Practice for Greening the Workforce with webinars andinternational virtual discussion meetings for educators,
administrators and youth. Additional resources, best practices
from countries, institutions and educators, success stories, andsolutions to barriers will be discussed during these virtual
meetings. Please sign up here for more information.
Congratulations on all your efforts to help build a more inclusive
green economy.
Please contact UNEP-YEA (unenvironment-yea@un.org) for
more information and assistance.