An Organisational Guide to Skills for Green Workforce Transformation : a new book with some fresh perspectives (not only) for career practitioners
Routledge has published An Organisational Guide to Skills for Green Workforce Transformation, a new collection that argues the green transition is, at its core, a skills problem – and one current strategies are not solving fast enough. Edited by Dr Karen Cripps (Oxford Brookes University Business School, UK) and Candy Ho (Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Canada), the 22-chapter, 366-page book argues that climate, decarbonisation, biodiversity and social equity goals will not be met by technical specialists alone, and sets out what a workforce-wide approach to green skills actually looks like in practice.
With a foreword from Aiyana Bodi of Project Drawdown and Drew Wilkinson of the Climate Leadership Collective, the book is grounded in Project Drawdown’s climate solutions framework and draws on contributors from global employers, professional associations, and industry practitioners across 17 countries in the Global North and South. All authors draw on transferable and transformative skills for a green transition, sharing lived experiences and practical recommendations on how to develop them.
The book moves beyond generic “green skills” lists to examine eight areas where organisations face growing pressure to act: emissions reduction, stakeholder engagement, procurement and partnerships, sustainable finance, climate disclosure, policy advocacy, business model transformation, and long-term strategic planning. Case studies range from emissions-reduction workforce strategies in Nigeria’s power sector and circular-economy skills in charity shop and reuse infrastructure, to nature-positive finance cultures in Nordic banking and businesses sustaining long-term climate planning amid Ukraine’s wartime economy.
If you are curious how thrift can play the role of a social equalizer, how to build transformative narrative beyond greenwashing within a company , or whether marketing can save the planet, read this book – it contains many practical examples and surprises. “The green transition requires more than technical specialists – it demands that every employee, in every role, contributes to organisational transformation,” the editors write.
“At a time when green skills risk becoming a cosmetic layer on extractive and growth-oriented models, this book reclaims sustainability as a transformative project. It offers concrete guidance for embedding ecological responsibility into roles, cultures, business models, without ignoring power relations and structures. A much needed inspiration also for career guidance practitioners that want to develop their practice beyond labour market adaptation, and contribute to the profound social and ecological transformation,” sais Tomáš Šprlák from Exploring Green Guidance.
An Organisational Guide to Skills for Green Workforce Transformation is aimed at sustainability leaders, learning and development professionals, educators, career practitioners, and policymakers working to close the gap between climate ambition and workforce capability. It is published as part of the Routledge Research in Sustainability and Business series. A welcome complementary reading next to your favourite classics and the green guidance hanbook.
About the Editors
Dr Karen Cripps is an Associate Professor in Responsible Management and Leadership at Oxford Brookes University Business School, UK. She sits on the UN-supported PRME initiative’s Working Group for Climate Change and Environment, and co-leads its Working Group on Careers and Sustainability.
Candy Ho is a Chancellor’s Chair and Educational Studies Faculty member at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Canada, where she leads research on integrating the UN Sustainable Development Goals into curricula.
Virtual Book Launch Event
30 September, 16:00–17:30 BST
The book launches at a free virtual event hosted by the UN PRME Working Group on Responsible Work and Purposeful Careers, in collaboration with the UN PRME Working Group on Climate Change and Environment. Guest-hosted by Martin Baxter, Deputy CEO of the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP), the event features lightning talks from contributors across each section of the book, including:
- Edwin Ehiorobo (Energyz Black) — emissions reduction
- Gemma Butler (Can Marketing Save the Planet) — stakeholder engagement and collaboration
- Kate McGeoch (Scottish Power) — projects, partnerships and procurement
- Megan Simpson (Shared Planet) — investments and financing
- Arpit Sharma (Skill Council for Green Jobs) — climate disclosures
- Deborah McNamara (ClimateVoice) — climate policy advocacy
- David Jones (Chartered Management Institute) — business model transformation
- Binbin Wang (Institute of Carbon Neutrality) — long-term thinking
Open to business leaders, educators, career professionals, students, and policymakers.
Register: https://brookes.zoom.us/meeting/register/yoE5iVVNT9Wpd0lxAOCyAQ Event details: https://www.unprme.org/prme-working-group-on-responsible-work-and-purposeful-careers/an-organisational-guide-to-skills-for-green-workforce-transformation-book-launch/
Media queries: Dr Karen Cripps — kcripps@brookes.ac.uk
Availability
An Organisational Guide to Skills for Green Workforce Transformation (ISBN: 9781041090120) is available now in hardback and eBook formats from Routledge and other major booksellers. A 20% discount is available when ordered directly through Routledge using code 26AFLY2.