Skilling and Reskilling for Our (Greener) Future. Conference Paper

This paper was presented at the 2009 Economic and Social Outlook Conference, November 5-6 at the University of Melbourne. It takes a sceptical view of the push for "green skills", arguing that skills required in the labour market evolve relatively slowly, and that the way business operates is driven by changing costs, new technologies and new regulations, with sustainability being only one of many factors. In addition, the presentation provides some data on "sustainable" courses in tertiary education and then looks at three areas which have implications for the public investment in education and training: the levels of skill acquired through apprenticeships and traineeships, the pay-off to undertaking VET qualifications, and the role of diplomas in the labour market. (Contains 9 tables, 3 figures, and 1 footnote.)