With COP28 underway, Graham Hoare, CEO of the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), comments on how robust supply chains can accelerate the pace of decarbonisation.
“Ahead of COP 28, the UN’s top climate official, Simon Stiell, stressed the need for ‘giant leaps’ in tackling climate change, rather than the ‘baby steps’ taken so far to cut greenhouse emissions. For the UK to play its part in driving decarbonisation, leveraging our track-record of excellence in research and development to accelerate green energy supply chains – namely nuclear, green hydrogen and renewables – will be crucial. Failure to do this not only hinders our net zero goals but also the growth of the green economy in the UK.
“Green energy supply chains need to be resilient, competitive and sustainable. This relies on having a skilled workforce who can use advanced technologies effectively. The investment in engineering and manufacturing apprenticeships announced in the government’s recently published Advanced Manufacturing Plan is, therefore, very welcome news.
“While building this future pipeline of talent is essential, business leaders also need to consider how to prepare their current workforce. Whether that be developing managers’ strategic skills in introducing digital transformation or retraining the existing workforce to optimise advanced automation.
“Research technology organisations, such as MTC, are playing a key part in facilitating energy transition in the UK by developing research concepts into commercially viable projects. But harnessing emerging technologies and enabling their adoption along whole supply chains need to be top of the agenda to ensure we accelerate the pace of reducing carbon emissions and tackling climate change.”
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