Environmental competency training: Executive overview

Building the business case for professional enviromental training – a Phase 1 landscape scan

Executive overview was prepared by: Gregor Steinhorn Research Partner - Enterprise 
Tūāpapa Rangahau; partnering research & enterprise

Background 

Sustainability challenges are increasingly demanding a well-trained workforce in the Aotearoa New Zealand construction sector. Transitioning to a low-carbon economy and building resilience to climate change effects requires sustainability and environmental management capabilities on all levels of the construction industry workforce. This requires a holistic approach that is embedded in te ao Māori.

While improvements in vocational training and university education can address the need for suitably trained graduates, the majority of the workforce that needs to be upskilled in the coming years consists of existing participants in the industry. Although some further vocational and university education, such as postgraduate qualifications and micro-credentials, can play a role here, most of the education needs would have to be met by continuous professional development (CPD) offerings.

The Phase 1 landscape scan identifies the government requirements for industry capabilities in the environmental field, industry capacity to deliver on these expectations and how gaps could be filled involving industry associations. A visual executive summary provides an overview of the findings of the landscape scan (Feeney, 2023, p. V).

The landscape scan relies heavily on the analysis of the submissions to government consultations made by four major industry associations (Carbon and Energy Professionals, Civil Contractors New Zealand, WasteMINZ, Water New Zealand).

While these are critical stakeholders in the industry, additional information about specific expert areas would benefit the analysis and could be included in a future Phase 2 of the project.

Download the Executive Overview (PDF)