Global Skills Week: Green skills leadership council

Summary of discussions

“Education can unlock large scale climate behavioral change”, Alejandro Caballero, Principal Education Specialist, IFC, World Bank Group

Green skills demand is outpacing supply

The demand for green skills tripled between 2017 and 2023 – and all indications are that this demand will continue to grow. Four of the top ten fastest growing occupations globally are in the solar and wind power industries (QS Labor Market Intelligence 2026). The top five countries who are experiencing the highest demand are the US, UK, Canada, India and Australia, according to the QS World Future Skills Index. While there are many voices calling for an acceleration of green skills development, particularly in rapidly growing economies, this is not being met by the availability of a skilled workforce. As well as varying levels of investment, current systems often lack effective mapping of technical and vocational skills, making alignment across policy, education and industry more difficult. At the same time, gaps in foundational skills continue to limit progress, constraining the ability to build more advanced capabilities at scale.

Rethinking education systems

“Expectations around the role of a university 20 years ago in developing skills is very different from today, and will be very different again in another 20 years", Leigh Kamolins, Vice President, Evaluation & Insights, QS

Universities and business schools are undergoing fundamental transformation, moving beyond traditional teaching models and increasingly embedding sustainability into core curricula. However, the green skills transition cannot be achieved in higher education alone and must be integrated into foundational learning from an early stage. Students themselves are playing a growing role in driving demand for sustainability-focused education, pushing institutions to adapt more quickly. In this context, strong leadership commitment and clear institutional strategies and policy are essential to ensure meaningful and lasting transformation.

Importance of vocational & scalable pathways

“Competitive advantage now belongs to those who can learn, unlearn and adapt fastest,” Marco Serrato, Vice President – Learning Enterprise, Arizona State University

Community colleges and alternative education models play a critical role in expanding access to green skills by offering affordable and scalable pathways into the workforce. These approaches are particularly important for reaching large and diverse populations, especially when complemented by strong non-formal skilling systems, as seen in countries like India. Many green jobs, such as solar installation, require only low-to-mid level technical foundations, making them highly accessible through targeted, practical training programs. The overarching goal is to equip the next generation of leaders with both the technical and human skills needed to drive long-term transformation.

The urban development imperative

Developing green skills is essential to support the transition to sustainable, low-carbon economies, particularly in rapidly growing regions. EDGE, an initiative of the IFC, helps emerging markets deliver resource-efficient buildings in a fast, simple, and affordable way by enabling developers to identify cost-effective strategies to reduce energy use, water consumption, and embodied carbon. By promoting sustainable construction at scale, EDGE supports improved urban development through more resilient and lower-impact cities, enhances industrial competitiveness by driving efficiency and innovation in the construction sector, and contributes to job creation by increasing demand for green materials, technologies, and skilled professionals.

The value of experiential learning‍

Experiential, hands-on learning is widely recognized as the most effective way to develop the capabilities required for the green transition. Beyond technical knowledge, green and enabling jobs increasingly demand strong human skills such as adaptability, collaboration, and problem-solving. These competencies are critical for navigating complex, evolving challenges and for enabling effective leadership in sustainability-focused roles. Key skills highlighted when teaching green skills include taking a holistic approach, ensuring positive and proactive collaboration with stakeholders in industry and in relevant organizations and the need for ongoing upskilling and reskilling to keep pace with our evolving knowledge base.

International student mobility & talent flows

‍International student mobility is evolving, with growing movement beyond traditional destinations toward new and emerging markets. Students are becoming more selective and choice-driven, actively seeking opportunities that align with their career aspirations. This raises important questions about whether green careers will increasingly shape mobility decisions and students will increasingly opt to live and study in countries and education systems which are prioritizing sustainability.