A new Groundwork report has found that more needs to be done to encourage young people towards a career in the waste and resource management industry to tackle plugging the green skills gap.

In Planning for the Future: Recruiting diverse talent into waste and resources management, 70% of 16-24 year olds surveyed have never received any careers advice on the skills required or roles available in the waste and resources management sector, while around half cited a lack of information as a career barrier, despite the UK government legislating a Net Zero emissions target in 2019 for 2050.

However, in spite of so many young people admitting to not considering a career in the sector, almost half (47%) reported that having a job that helps the UK reach carbon neutrality was important to them, with more of those in the older 18-24 age group considering it important (49%) than those aged 16 and 17 (28%). This suggests that more work needs to be done for employers and those with influence to educate Gen Z on the role they play in achieving Net Zero.