Training and skills development ‘essential’ for UK companies to meet new climate goals

In response to the news that listed companies and financial institutions in the UK will be forced to show how they intend to meet climate change targets by 2023, Association for Project Management (APM), the chartered membership organisation for the project profession, agrees that firms must invest in their capability to deliver projects that will help them reach net zero.

Data from APM, gathered from a survey undertaken by research Censuswide, shows that 88 per cent of project professionals say their organisation has a net zero strategy, rising to 90 per cent among project professionals in the financial services sector.

However, around 1 in 5 project managers (21 per cent) say they do not feel well equipped to tackle net zero/decarbonisation challenges in their projects. Similarly, 20 percent are not confident in the sustainability of projects in their sector.

APM’s chief executive Professor Adam Boddison said:

“Now more than ever, sustainability and environmental focus must be a core part of projects and their deliverables. These requirements are challenging, but they also present UK businesses with an opportunity to lead on the path to net zero. To be successful, serious investment is needed in essential training and skills development for project professionals.

“The plans that firms create to meet the climate challenge will require countless projects and professionals to make them a reality, and to ensure that sustainability is built-in to plans from the start, not bolted-on to projects as an afterthought. Only with significant investment and a strategic prioritisation on project skillsets will firms be able to support the proper inception, delivery and completion of the projects that will help them meet these ambitious goals.”