Developing tomorrow’s climate leaders, thinkers and doers

June 2021

Earlier this month the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), the UK government’s independent climate advisory body, released a landmark report on how the UK can achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

The take home message of the report was that the target is achievable and affordable but requires a step change in policy development, execution and joined up action across government, business and society. Beginning now.

The report has been rightly welcomed by many for its ambition and detail. It provides all those engaged in climate action in the UK with a clear and shared framework that is aligned with the most ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement.

Implicit in the recommendations of the report is also a challenge to governments, business and NGOs alike to develop the workforce that will be required to deliver the goal that has been set.

Rightly, the CCC explicitly states the need for skills support for the designers, builders and installers that will be needed to deploy the low and zero carbon technologies required for a net zero economy.

But the report should also be a call to action for NGOs (as well as their funders and partners in business and government) to assess and strengthen our sector’s role in developing the climate leaders, thinkers and doers of tomorrow.

Catalysts & innovators

NGO’s occupy a crucial spot in the climate action ecosystem. As catalysts and innovators, we help develop many of the new ideas and initiatives that are subsequently picked up and scaled in the wider (‘real’) economy. We also ‘fill the gaps’, picking up essential actions and tasks that for different reasons business and government are unable to address.

As the UK embarks on its greatest economic and technological transformation ever, these roles will be more vital than ever, and a highly skilled and motivated NGO workforce will be essential for delivery.

The workforce we need

So, what does a fit for purpose climate NGO workforce look like for the 2020s? The answer is determined largely by the kind of organisations we need to be in the coming decade.

Individually and collectively, climate NGOs in the UK will need to up their game as agents of change to meet the challenges laid down by the CCC.

We will need to be more agile, adaptive and collaborative; more connected to and aware of the needs of business and governments; better able to understand and articulate the key priorities and concerns of all segments of society; evidenced lead; skilled communicators and negotiators; and financially well run.

In short, much like the organisations we work hard to be today, but better.

It follows that our workforce will also be similar in terms of roles and required skillsets, but also one that is more diverse. We should also expect and aim to retain much of the existing talent, not least because many of our organisations currently have a relatively young staff with long careers ahead of them. Holding onto and developing these individuals will be critical to our success in the next decade and beyond.

Attracting and retaining talent

Like any sector, we need the best and brightest to be successful and truly effective.

The profound and multifaceted nature of our task means we are fortunate to already attract many smart, motivated individuals drawn by the stimulating and meaningful work we can offer.

But we also need to ensure we can interest quality candidates across all the skillsets we require and who may not be motivated necessarily by an interest in climate action.

For this reason, as well as to retain talent, we need to be able to provide clear career progression and development opportunities, comparable to those found elsewhere. We also need to offer attractive employment packages that make us competitive as possible with other sectors, both in business and government.

Crucially, we must also be a workplace for a far greater range of people. This is not a box ticking exercise, but an essential measure to improve our sector’s ability to see problems and solutions from as many perspectives as possible.

In short, we need to make the climate NGO sector an aspirational career choice, both for those already in the sector and those yet to begin their careers.

Challenges

All of this is easier said than done.

As a sector made up mainly of small to medium sized enterprises we do face real challenges in developing our workforce. Our individual resources are often limited and collectively fragmented. We tend to plan on 1-2 year horizons, or the length of our current grants. Staff development is recognised as essential but can often be treated as a luxury. The small size of many of our organisations puts limits on progression, forcing staff out rather than up and undermining the accumulation of institutional knowledge and experience.

These are perennial issues common to NGOs in any sector, but as we enter this crucial decade for climate action, this sub-optimal, fragmented approach is no longer tenable.

Solutions?

Where do from here then?

Greater collaboration on workforce development, particularly between NGOs with shared interests and missions, would seem like a useful option to explore. This could take a number of forms and might include:

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Any collaboration will be best if accompanied by a shared strategy, whether at sector or subgroup level. This needs to be owned by management teams but developed with staff and our HR professionsals.

We should also look to examples in other sectors and industries for inspiration and help. Here the UK Civil Service’s model of allowing inter-departmental career development, could provide a useful template.

For example, rather than seeing other NGOs as competitors for talent, might we instead embrace a model where staff are actively helped to develop a career across several, connected organisations, knowing that there is a culture were doors can always be re-opened where they started? This could go along way to addressing the problem many of us have in losing good staff and institutional knowledge because they need to move out in order to go up. It would also help in creating a much better connected and cross-fertilising culture in the sector.

As this crucial decade for climate action bears down on us, it will be essential that we start to do it together and with our partners and funders to develop the climate leaders, thinkers and doers that our sector, economy and communities need and deserve.?