Green workforce should be ‘pressing priority’ – Report

The development of a green workforce in Tunisia, one of the countries most exposed to climate change in the Mediterranean region, is a pressing priority to reduce the impact of climate change on its people and businesses.

This is according to a World Bank Group’s Tunisia Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR), released ahead of the 2023 United Nations climate change conference, COP28, which is taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 30 November to 12 December.

Although Tunisia has produced plans and set up a coordination mechanism to implement its climate change strategy, it falls short on embedding its commitment in policies, processes and systems.

“Leadership and responsibilities for the implementation of climate change reforms are not clearly delineated between different actors. Without urgent and decisive action by the government and broader society in these areas, there could be significant socio-economic, political and humanitarian repercussions. Tunisia’s economic challenges are compounded by its increasing vulnerability to climate change,” the report states.

It identifies water availability, ensuring resilience to a rising sea-level and flooding, as well as the decarbonising of the economy as the climate-related objectives that could have the biggest economic impact on Tunisia, and urges the tertiary and private sectors to join forces in creating the needed qualified workforce.

Thus, to enhance human capital, skilling, reskilling and upskilling, as well as on-the-job training programmes, especially in terms of energy transition, are needed.

Role of education and training

Recommendations about training and skills development include the integration of climate change education into the national curriculum and raising public awareness about climate change to empower individuals to make informed decisions and foster a culture of resilience and sustainable development.

At higher education and vocational training level, the report calls for expanding climate-related programmes involving industries in the development of curricula to ensure relevance and quality, raising awareness about climate change and green practices in the national curriculum, and for the training of teachers.

Research and development

A proposed Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy, envisaged as a training and skills hub for the African continent that meets international quality standards, is another intervention that could help to build research capacity, according to the report.

It could further support evidence-based climate change solutions through research and development, and could upscale activities such as climate modelling and forecasting, studying the impacts of climate change on vulnerable sectors like agriculture and coastal areas, developing climate-resilient technologies and practices, exploring renewable energy options, and assessing the effectiveness of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.

A further recommendation is that Tunisia develop and promote usage of, and research into, climate-smart agriculture and animal husbandry.

Water transition

In terms of dealing with water scarcity, the report states that the education system, in partnership with the private sector, should provide skills in the areas of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) operation and management, environmental water policy, water chemical testing and analysis, the management and preservation of natural water resources, and non-conventional water use, according to the CCDR.

Across 42 universities, 187 degree programmes are offered with relatively even coverage of the five needed skills and knowledge areas, the report notes.

However, according to the report, there is a large gap in the training of technicians at universities, with only five degree programmes reported (one in WWTP operation, one in management and environmental water policy, and three in water chemical testing and analysis).

Coastal research

According to the report, Tunisia’s current education system has limited capacity to provide the skills required to address a rise in sea-levels and flooding.

About half of the country’s universities offer courses and degree programmes linked to six skills areas in this field, namely, resilience to climate-related natural disasters; designing and implementing infrastructural projects; green building architecture; geographic information systems; urban and coastal planning; and the environmental impact of land use and territorial planning.

Clean energy

The shift towards clean energy has also come with an increase in the demand for a qualified labour force in this field.

While highly skilled personnel such as renewable energy engineers and electrical engineers, among others, are critical for the development and innovation of renewable energy technologies, technicians are also important for installing and maintaining renewable energy systems and energy-efficient technologies.

At present, however, the tertiary system is geared towards high-level rather than medium- and low-level skills.

Again, as in the other climate priority areas, the report alludes to the need for links between skills councils across sectors and for stronger collaboration between the private sector and tertiary institutions.

These linkages could involve developing a common database to identify gaps between the supply and demand of skills, involving industries in preparing clean energy education or training curricula, arranging internships and practical skills training with industry for students and expanding the training of trainers’ programmes and certification to grow the pool of skilled workers.

In addition to providing financial support, the private sector is crucial for developing the technologies and skills required to implement climate action.

“The private sector is likely to be instrumental in making production processes more climate friendly; in developing and maintaining activities that are resilient to the new climate conditions; and in developing the skills and inputs needed for the transition to a more sustainable path,” the report states.