Green Growth
The Green Growth economy is a continuous growth sector and is extremely important to the local economy, employing around 37,000 people across 4,500 enterprises. The sector is growing both in terms of the number of jobs being created but also the number of businesses being created and therefore requires knowledgeable, skilled and motivated people to work for them.
Although the sector encompasses a diverse range of semi-skilled and skilled trades, a large proportion of the jobs being created are in high-value and well-paid professional occupations.
The sector is not just about jobs in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) as the sector needs business leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators. Current and future demand for people to work in the sector is being influenced by the continued development and application of new technologies such as:
- Electric Vehicles; Hydrogen Powered homes and transport.
- Changing employer demand with greater transferability of knowledge across job tasks
- Changing national policy on energy use – in the context of the world’s approach to climate change and renewable energy (e.g. Housing Energy Efficiency)
- An ageing workforce
New Green Growth Job role areas are emerging in areas such as Wind Turbine technicians; Offshore wind maintenance; Recycling; Solar PV Installation and Maintenance.
Key Liverpool City Region employers include: Knauf Insulation; Ørsted; Innogy; Siemens; MHI Vestas Offshore Wind; ABB; SP Energy Networks (Electricity); Cadent (Gas); Alstom; Renewable UK; Ulemco Arcola and Stiebel Eltron.
Green Growth
LCR Vacancies
Halton Vacancies
Knowsley Vacancies
Liverpool Vacancies
Sefton Vacancies
St. Helens Vacancies
Wirral Vacancies
*When clicking through to ‘Search Vacancies’ you will be taken to Find a Job. The number of vacancies available will be different to that displayed as these are taken from multiple sources.
Career Progression Pathway
Whether you are interested in an apprenticeship, traineeship or you already work within this sector, the following career progression pathway diagram provides a basic overview of some of the roles available at various levels.
The roles detailed within the diagram are just a few of those available and demonstrate how continued learning can help you progress through this particular sector whether you have just started your career journey or are looking to move on up.
Each role detailed, provides a brief overview, highlighting the responsibilities and duties involved, as well as average salary and what level of learning the role is associated with.
Job Level 5
Corporate-responsibility
Level: 5
Salary From: £22,000
Average Salary: £23,333
Salary To: £43,000
Corporate responsibility and sustainability practitioners make sure that businesses work in an ethical way.
Countryside-officer
Level: 5
Salary From: £19,000
Average Salary: £19,333
Salary To: £34,000
Countryside officers manage, protect and improve the rural environment
Ecologist
Level: 5
Salary From: £22,000
Average Salary: £23,000
Salary To: £42,000
Ecologists study the relationship between plants, animals and the environment.
Energy-engineer
Level: 5
Salary From: £20,000
Average Salary: £25,000
Salary To: £50,000
Energy engineers research, design and build power generation plants, and work in the oil and gas industry.
Geotechnician
Level: 5
Salary From: £15,000
Average Salary: £17,000
Salary To: £31,000
Geotechnicians collect and analyse geological data from rock, soil and water samples.
Hydrologist
Level: 5
Salary From: £23,000
Average Salary: £24,667
Salary To: £46,000
Hydrologists study rainfall, rivers and waterways to support the development of sustainable ways to manage water resources.
Meteorologist
Level: 5
Salary From: £20,000
Average Salary: £28,333
Salary To: £60,000
Meteorologists collect and study data from the atmosphere and oceans to make weather forecasts and carry out research.
Recycling officer
Level: 5
Salary From: £19,000
Average Salary: £19,667
Salary To: £35,000
Recycling officers promote recycling in the community, and run local recycling schemes.
Job Level 6 – 7
Climate-scientist
Level: 6
Salary From: £16,000
Average Salary: £25,667
Salary To: £55,000
Climate scientists study changes in the Earth’s climate over time and how they might affect the planet in the future.
Environmental-consultant
Level: 6
Salary From: £23,000
Average Salary: £24,000
Salary To: £43,000
Environmental consultants advise on sustainability, including waste management, recycling, flood risk and the effects of climate change.
Planning-development
Level: 6
Salary From: £25,000
Average Salary: £30,333
Salary To: £60,000
Planning and development surveyors assess, design and manage development projects in towns, cities and rural areas.
Geoscientist
Level: 7
Salary From: £28,000
Average Salary: £25,667
Salary To: £42,000
Geoscientists study the Earth’s structure and formation, and analyse rocks to explore its natural mineral and energy resources.
Oceanographer
Level: 7
Salary From: £14,000
Average Salary: £27,000
Salary To: £60,000
Oceanographers study the seas and oceans.
Seismologist
Level: 7
Salary From: £20,000
Average Salary: £25,667
Salary To: £50,000
Seismologists study shock waves created by earthquakes and volcanic activity. They also work in oil, gas and minerals exploration.
THERE ARE MANY ROLES WITHIN THE GREEN GROWTH SECTOR.
TO SEARCH SPECIFIC JOB DESCRIPTIONS CLICK HERE
GREEN GROWTH REELS
Advise:
Employers from around the city region share their advice and tips for those looking to enter the sector.
Diversity:
Find out how employers from across the city region champion diversity within their organisations.
Experiences:
Want to know more what it’s like to work within this sector? Find out from those who know best.
Pathways:
Gaining that cutting edge through innovation is what makes the city region one of the best places to work. Find out why.
Innovation:
Want to know how you can work your way up in this sector? Helpful tips and advice are shared here.
Overview
Changing what we do, and how we do it, is now an essential part of our thinking as a Region, and all industries will need to adapt to a cleaner, greener, way of working.
The stark reality is that much of the Liverpool City Region is in low-lying areas close to river basins, so many of our homes and businesses will be under water if the sea levels rise in line with some of the predictions.
We’re already seeing more extreme weather events, and the cost of not changing is going to be felt not just in financial terms but also in lost, or shortened, lives.
With this in mind, the Liverpool City Region has set a target date to become net carbon neutral, and this target is 2040 – less than 20 years from today.
So what does this mean for us?
The Paris Agreement is an international accord aiming to limit global warming to 1.5 °C or 2.7% per annum , but even if all the commitments of the Agreement are fulfilled, temperatures will rise 3.2 °C by the end of the century, with increasing frequency and intensity of the destructive climate phenomena that have devastated the planet in recent years.
The drive to work in cleaner, greener ways brings with it many challenges, but also many opportunities because an entire sector has been created looking to take advantage of greener technology, in areas such as renewable energy, improved heating and cooling systems, reduced emissions systems, waste management, green construction, to name just a few.
You may see these types of businesses and jobs called either “Low Carbon” or “Clean Growth” – they’re essentially the same thing – jobs in industries which reduce our carbon footprint and extend the use of cleaner greener fuels and resources.
By 2030, estimates suggest there could be 694,000 green jobs in the low-carbon and renewable energy sector across England, rising to more than 1.18m by 2050.
There’s enormous potential for clean growth careers – from dedicated clean growth businesses, such as wind farms, to working on environmental projects in other businesses to improve their carbon footprint, researching, developing and producing new products or systems which reduce environmental impacts, or even working in a research or consultancy capacity to measure or reduce harmful impacts.
The Low Carbon/Clean Growth sector itself includes industries such as offshore wind, onshore wind, solar photovoltaic, hydropower, other renewable energy, bioenergy and energy efficient lighting and vehicles, heating and cooling technologies, smart recycling, and similar fields which substantially lower level of carbon emissions per unit of output than other industries or allow us to generate cleaner, greener power.
When you consider that in the next decade we will radically need to reconsider how we heat our buildings, how we travel, and how we generate our power, you’ll appreciate that this is a massive commitment which will re-shape the society we see today.
In the Liverpool City Region economy, businesses operating in the Low Carbon/Clean Growth are not only an important pillar of reducing our carbon footprint , but are at the forefront of the global shift towards clean and efficient use of energy of all kinds, researching and developing new sources of power and using it in an efficient and sustainable way.
In order to achieve this we need to invest in new technology and processes to develop and expand the use of renewable energy sources, and in order to do this we need people with the right skills, experience and passion to drive forward the initiatives..
In our region, this workforce currently stands at approximately 37,000 people across 4,500 enterprises, but is growing fast and new jobs are developing quickly – many of which are not just new jobs, but new types of jobs, working on projects or products which are brand new.
As well as these essential environmental and health benefits, there are also significant economic advantages that Liverpool City Region is well-placed to benefit from. The River Mersey which runs through the heart of the region has a potential to generate sustainable electric power through tidal systems, we have a very exciting Hydrogen Economy Programme, and as the technology develops we will need to fit all current and new housing and business premises with heating and cooling systems which take advantage of the new energy sources.
If this sounds like a huge change, that’s because it will be – and it will fundamentally affect everyone in the Region, in a variety of ways we can’t fully understand yet because they’re evolving constantly as new technology emerges.
A large proportion of the jobs being created are in high-value and well-paid professional occupations, so if you’re looking for a career which has a positive environmental impact and also provides you with an exciting and interesting outlook, this could be the sector for you.
Quick Facts
- In 2019, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority became the first in the country to declare a Climate Emergency, committing to become net zero carbon by 2040 – 10 years ahead of the national UK target.
- Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram’s vision is to position the Liverpool City Region as “the UK’s renewable energy coast.”
- The energy industry adds 87bn to the economy every year.
- The Clean Growth sector provides 137,000 direct jobs (1 in 49 across the economy) and 500,000 indirect jobs nationally.
- The Vulnerability Commitment which improves supplier support to vulnerable household allocated £320 million to vulnerable and low-income consumers in 2021.
- The energy sector invests over £17bn per annum in research and the development and upgrading of new facilities – this is the cutting edge of our energy provision.
- The UK has the largest installed capacity of offshore wind in the world and five UK cities are rated in the world’s 40 most sustainable.
- The Government’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution is a commitment to 250,000 green jobs, transforming the economy and putting clean, green technology at the forefront of industrial change.
- By 2050 it is estimated that electricity demand from new technologies will be double that of 2022, as more things in society use electricity for power.
- By 2050 it is estimated that electricity demand from new technologies will be double that of 2022, as more things in society use electricity for power.
- The first plans for a tidal barrage across the Mersey were first produced back in 1924 -well before the climate crisis.
- With a tidal range up to 10 m (33 ft) the Mersey is the second highest in the United Kingdom and is therefore considered one of the best sources of marine renewable energy in the United Kingdom.
- The 32 new turbines at the 40 sq Km Burbo Bank windfarm are the most powerful in the world – they’re taller than the Gherkin in London and the Royal Liver Building, and collectively produce enough electricity to power 3.1 million homes. Each of the blades is longer than 9 buses!
- It is estimated that by 2030 offshore wind can generate around a third of the UK’s electricity.
- Eighty-two percent of Liverpool City Region residents agree urgent action is needed to reduce carbon emissions, according to an exclusive survey.
Helpful Links
Government / National Careers Service documents
- National Careers Service
- National Careers Service: Ecologists
- CBI: Skills and training for the green economy
- JobHelp
Liverpool City Region documents
- Liverpool City Region Skills for Growth
- Liverpool Enterprise Partnership
- Liverpool John Moores University
- North Hub – Clean Growth UK
- Plan for Prosperity 2022
Introducing the sector
- The Guardian: What are green jobs – and why are they important?
- Groundwork
- Every UK job has the potential to be green
- What are Green Jobs and its impact on the economy
- My World of Work
Sector Organisations
Skills and support
- Skills for a Green Economy
- Future Skills Centre: Green occupations pathways
- Prospects: Ecologist
- High Speed Training
- Centre for Alternative Technology
Pathways to work
Jobs in this sector
- Green Jobs
- Prospects: Renewable energy careers
- My Job Search: Ecologist
- Environmental jobs
- Guardian Jobs
Additional resources
- Meeting the low carbon skills challenge
- Blue Mirror Insights
- Greener Jobs Alliance
- Clean Growth Strategy
- The route to clean growth
- CBI: Government announces Clean Growth Strategy
- Hansard
Generic careers resources
- National Careers Service
- UCAS: Careers
- Career Connect
- The Skills Builder Partnership
- Careerpilot: Careerometer
Video resources
- The future of sustainable consumption
- Where are the world’s largest offshore wind farms?
- Careers at the UK Atomic Energy Authority
- Day in the life of a Project Assistant: Oil and Gas
- Working in the Power Industry: Think Power
- How to select a career in the power sector: Career Planning Tool
- Explore your future in Oil and Gas
- Day in the life of an Offshore Installation Manager
- What it’s like to be an Environmental Advisor
- What it’s like to be a Geophysicist
- What it’s like to work in Assistant Engineer Operations: British Energy
- What it’s like to be a Heating Engineer: Low Carbon Economy