The latest working group report from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change calls for a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 to help stabilize the climate. But does a workforce exist with the dedication and diversity required to build effective responses? Some development leaders believe the present landscape has a hiring gap.
There is “a clear matching problem” between university graduates and employers, said Aashna Aggarwal, the partnerships and development manager at Power for All, during the recent Solutions Summit. “There are people willing to hire, and there are highly qualified students looking for jobs. Yet there is this gap that prevails between the demand and the supply.”
The digital event — put together by the green jobs initiative of the U.N. Environment Programme’s Youth and Education Alliance, the Green Growth Knowledge Platform’s Green Learning Network, and the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative — focused on how to solve this problem. Speakers shared four recommendations for environmental organizations looking to find and retain purpose-driven employees amid the climate crisis.