The City & Guilds Foundation is pleased to announce two new partnerships with Greenworkx and Catch22 to deliver green skills training. The partnerships will provide training and support to help people from disadvantaged backgrounds develop the skills they need to work in the green economy.
Greenworkx is a climate EdTech startup that is tackling the green skills emergency and building the net-zero workforce. Their mission is to get 10 million people into green jobs in 10 years.
They are building an app that they hope will be the talent portal for green jobs: with green job discovery, opportunity-matching and social community.
We are partnering with Greenworkx to deliver Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA) training to two cohorts in May and June. The training covers all aspects of being a DEA, including the assessment process, the different types of energy efficiency measures, and how to communicate with customers.
The Foundation team are also exploring with Greenworkx the potential for referrals into the wider Green bursaries activity and how to raise awareness about green jobs. With a high amount of applications for electrical (level 2 and 3) qualifications each round, there is an opportunity to attract learners to green jobs who are currently only aware of careers in domestic installations.
Catch22
is a social business that designs and delivers public services that build resilience and aspiration in people and communities. The City & Guilds foundation is funding the Green Spark programme which will provide electrical training through TradeSkills4U with Catch 22 supporting participants into Net Zero jobs and further progression opportunities through TradeUp.
The training routes with TS4U will include a bolt-on for either EV chargers or solar PV installations so that learners can more easily transition into jobs in those areas. Catch22 will also be providing 6 months of tailored support to all participants as they enter the journey into sustained work and training and will be reporting on impact throughout.
These two partnerships are a great example of how social enterprises and charities can work together to make a real difference in people’s lives. The training will provide a valuable opportunity for people from disadvantaged backgrounds to develop the skills and knowledge they need to work in the green economy and make a positive contribution to the environment.
Speaking about Catch22’s Green Spark programme, Faiza Khan MBE had this to say:
“We’re delighted to be partnering with Catch22 on the Green Spark programme to support people from the most underserved communities in England and Wales break down barriers to housing, mental health support and enhance experiences of the care and justice systems. Catch22 champions diversity; employability cohorts are 50% women and 50% from ethnically diverse backgrounds, which is particularly important in the net zero sector which currently lacks diversity.”
Speaking about the Greenworkx partnership, Faiza Khan also commented:
“Greenworkx mission to tackle the green skills emergency by getting 10 million people into green jobs in 10 years very much aligns to our own ambitions at City & Guilds in this area. We’re hoping that our bursary programme can support disadvantaged learners from the Greenworkx platform to undertake qualifications which will help them discover green jobs, learn practical green skills, get matched with green opportunities and ultimately secure employment.”
City & Guilds is committed to supporting the green economy and helping people from disadvantaged backgrounds to access good quality jobs. The partnerships with Greenworkx and Catch22 are a great example of how the Foundation can achieve this.
See the Greenworkx and Catch22 websites for more information, and check our bursary programme for other opportunities for funding.