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Green investment needed for low-carbon economy

14 Nov 2008

Green investment needed for low-carbon economy Employment 4 Students – Number 1 for Graduate jobs in London

The government is being urged to increase the amount of money it sets aside for investment in green technologies, it has been reported.

According to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), if the government is intent on creating a low-carbon economy it will need to bring spending in line with the amount spent on defence – which currently stands at £2.6 billion.

Dr Neil Bentley, CBI director of business environment, said that Whitehall not only needs to invest in alternative energy sources, like biomass, wind and nuclear, but needs to ensure that they will produce enough electricity to allow old power stations to be decommissioned.

In news that may be of interest to eco-friendly university leavers looking for graduate jobs in London, Dr Bentley said the government should set its sights on training the next generation of skilled workers to fill roles in the renewable sector.

"Our ambition should be to increase expenditure on low-carbon technologies to around 30 per cent of the government's total R&D budget," he said.

"That would bring it in line with the proportion currently being spent on defence," Dr Bentley added.

He claimed it would take a coordinated effort from government and business if Britain is to lead the way in terms of green technology, which the CBI estimates could be worth $1 trillion (£670 billion).

Meanwhile, according to Anne Miller, principal environmental consultant at Woodland Grange training centre, investing in the latest environmental training is essential for anyone wanting to work in the sector, it has been reported.

Ms Miller told the Independent: "Lots of people turn up to our courses because environmental standards have been bolted onto their job and they've been told to get some training."

"Often, they're people who work in health and safety and you can see them thinking, 'Oh no, I'm in for a dull day'," she added.

Claire Lea, director of membership services at the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment, agrees that training is paramount for university leavers looking to carve out a career in the environmental sector.

She told the news provider that more and more business are looking to flout their green credentials and corporate social responsibility is a growing issue.

Meanwhile, employees can go on a three to five day course covering environmental management systems implementation and use it as a springboard to developing their company's environmental policy, she added.

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