Place-Based Green Skills - Hartcliffe and Withywood, regional policy

The UK Government has national ambitions for achieving net zero and investing in green industries but net zero policies will become tangible in regional economies and local experiences of changing work and livelihoods. Net zero policy must also take account of social justice and economic inclusion for disadvantaged communities. New (green) skills offerings must thus address both employers’ labour needs and support workers who might otherwise be excluded from the opportunities associated with net zero. The aim of this research is to take a place-based approach to looking at net zero as an economic transition and to explore how climate policy and economic change are experienced locally, and how barriers that can risk perpetuating economic exclusion could be addressed.
The project has the following objectives:
1. Co-devise a place-based green skills policy approach (piloted in previous work) through work with the South Bristol community of Hartcliffe and Withywood and other stakeholders.
2. Work with WECA to embed this methodology within decision-making around regional skills delivery and to support their Regional Growth Strategy launched in 2025.