Scottish colleges should be funded to fight climate change
The Scottish Greens are calling for colleges to be better funded to help tackle the climate crisis in the upcoming Scottish Budget.
The party co-leader Gillian Mackay wants to see investment in colleges to train people up for working in green industries that will help Scotland reach its Net Zero ambitions, while providing people with future-proof skills for entering the workforce.
This would see training provided for roles like installing insulation or swapping out boilers for heat pumps and other efforts to tackle the climate crisis and boost job opportunities.
There must be measures taken by the Scottish Government in the upcoming Budget to ensure that colleges are properly funded to provide the courses needed for these industries.
Gillian said:
“Hundreds of jobs have been lost in my hometown of Grangemouth, and hundreds more are about to be lost at Mossmorran. With so much loss for skilled workers and their families and uncertainty on what their future career looks like, we have to do something.
“What we can do is create thousands of new jobs in green industries, if we have people trained and excited to work in them. Workers looking to upskill, or young people looking to start their career, can be given the opportunity to help tackle the climate crisis head on and learn a skill for life if proper funding is given to colleges for these kinds of courses.
“My fellow co-leader Ross Greer visited a college in his region that works in partnership with green industry companies to offer apprenticeship training courses. He got to meet with workers learning while on the job, and find out how these types of partnerships are helping build a greener economy.
“The future of clean energy and a country that cares about people and planet begins with investment in colleges so that people can develop their skills and feel proud of what they have achieved as they enter the world of work. There must be a commitment made in this Budget to ensure that happens for local communities and for our climate.”