What Are Green Skills?

Green skills are the abilities, knowledge and behaviours that enable individuals and organisations to reduce environmental impact, adapt to climate change, and build a low-carbon future. They include technical expertise, such as energy management, sustainable design, carbon accounting and biodiversity management, but also transferable skills like systems thinking, change management and effective communication.

These competencies are not limited to environmental roles. In fact, most sectors now require them: engineers designing low-emission infrastructure, finance teams integrating climate risk, HR managers embedding sustainability into workforce planning, and procurement officers reshaping supply chains.

International frameworks, including the International Labour Organization’s definition of green skills, highlight three key dimensions: (1) technical abilities for greener production and services, (2) adaptive capabilities to navigate new regulations and technologies, and (3) behavioural qualities that drive cultural change. Developing these skills strengthens organisational resilience, ensures compliance with emerging standards, and opens new market opportunities, making them a core requirement for modern careers and economies.