About Environment Jobs Scotland

The Need for EJS

The JITESU Programme identified that there was a great deal of potential in looking more closely at the environment sectors to identify issues and opportunities. 

• Employers: Each of the sectors researched by JITESU found that a number of legislative drivers would increase demand for both skilled and unskilled labour and that up-skilling of existing staff would be necessary.  Age profile of existing staff was also identified as a key issue, with the possibility  of skill shortages. 
  
• Welfare to Work: Changes to the Welfare to Work models have led to new approaches of delivering assistance for clients on the various New Deal programmes and a need to link more closely to employer needs.
  
• Individuals:  JITESU identified an gap in the level of information for people wishing to pursue a career in the ‘environmental sector’ and that the sector itself was not properly defined by the system of Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) and Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes and a true indication of the economic value of the ‘environmental sector’ was not possible.  Besides the definitions of the sector, skill sets, career paths and qualifications available or required had not been researched fully to give robust information.
  
• Community Groups: There was a need to give community groups more information on training and possible sources of funding for training.  This would allow community groups to be more informed about the type of training that was appropriate and recognised when developing projects in partnership with others.