
The ‘PES Toolkit on Green Skills and Jobs: From commitment to practical steps and strategies’ supports Public Employment Services (PES) to provide practical guidance and promote skills development for the green transition. A key focus is on supporting labour market transitions and improving skills intelligence.
The continuing shift towards a greener economy is expected to have a major impact on skills requirements, requiring PES to assist with the development of new skillsets and adapt skills as well as support for workers, jobseekers and employers to make the green transition of the labour market a reality.
PES can play a significant role in identifying and anticipating skills needs, increasing matching efficiency for green jobs, supporting job-to-job transitions into green and green-driven occupations, and ensuring that the green transition is inclusive.
The Toolkit has been developed for PES staff in management positions at central, regional and local levels, as well as employment counsellors and staff working in labour market information systems. It may be useful also for other organisations working closely with PES on the green transition including ministries, the training ecosystem, local stakeholders and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) amongst others.
The Toolkit provides information ranging from key developments and challenges faced by PES whilst showcasing inspiring practices from PES across the Network, as the evidence on the topic is still scarce. Considerations are included for PES to utilise when developing strategies, identifying green skills, developing and implementing PES services for its customers.
Areas covered by the Toolkit:
The Toolkit’s five sections include key lessons learned, considerations and recommendations, and examples that PES can use. The sections cover:
- PES strategies in relation to labour market challenges linked to the green transition. The section outlines some PES strategies on internal sustainability or to facilitate the green transition, frameworks for defining green jobs.
- Identification of green skills types allowing PES to work with data to anticipate skills gaps and plan service delivery. This approach focuses on identifying skills required and promotes collaboration with key stakeholders to map future skills requirements, develop services and inform clients.
- Designing PES services and measures to support workforces via facilitation of training for jobseekers and career counselling to assist with the green transition. Other approaches include targeted Active Labour Market Programmes (ALMPs), alongside targeted services to different groups of PES customers.
- Working with employers to increase collaboration and support workforce development via identifying green skills needs, co-designing training programmes and work-based learning and sectoral partnerships.
Further information:
Find out more about the PES Toolkit on Green Skills and Jobs here.
The PES Network Knowledge Centre and PES Practice database also have a wide range of information and inspiring practices on the organisation and services of Public Employment Services across Europe.
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Details
- Publication date
- 31 July 2025
- Author
- Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion