We kicked off our first SA ZERO event for 2025 with a Green Skills Forum, hosted in partnership with Flinders University.

Bringing together leaders from education, government, and industry, we tackled one of South Australia’s biggest challenges and opportunities – developing the green workforce of the future.

Key-Takeaways from the discussion include:

• It’s clear we need green skills, and lots of them. In Australia as many as 2 million new jobs will be required to meet net zero by 2050, with 200,000+ roles needed to reach 2030 emissions reduction targets.
• South Australia is well progressed on its net zero ambitions, including leading the transition to renewable energy and the circular economy and have an opportunity to capitalise on the global green transition by continuing to build our local green workforce.
• Developing green skills and capacity building across the South Australian economy is especially critical given the nature of the business environment and heightened competition for talent across critical sectors.
• With 90% of SA businesses employing less than 100 people, we have an added challenge of helping SMEs prepare, upskill and participate in a more sustainable future.
• Filling green-skill gaps requires a multifaceted approach involving education, hands-on training and professional development initiatives. We also need to foster a culture of continuous learning and equip the current workforce with the necessary skills to thrive in a green economy through upskilling, reskilling and micro-credentialling opportunities.
• The State Government, the South Australian Skills Commission, Industry Skills Councils and education providers including Flinders University, TAFE SA and other vocational and tertiary institutions are actively working to address and meet green skill gaps. This includes significant government investment in skills, the introduction of new courses and VET pathways, and innovative new training models.
• Cross-sector partnerships are essential for effective upskilling and reskilling, ensuring alignment between education, training and industry needs.
• While many traditional skillsets are still required, big and small businesses need support in embedding green sustainability skills into their workforce strategies.
• SMEs also require increased awareness of the business value of green skills, a pipeline of information, and deployable, small-scale solutions.
• Businesses are encouraged to speak up and provide feedback to the Skills Commission, industry bodies and education providers on the skills they require and input into course development, training options and content.

A big thank you to all of our speakers Mark Gregory, Sam Dighton, Commissioner Cameron Baker from the South Australian Skills Commission, Laura Schonfeldt from RAA, Allan Kane from Magnetite Mines, Sam McCarthy from Beca, Chris Zielinski from the Department of State Development, Julie Pisano from TAFE SA and Andrew Copus from the Department for Education, and facilitators William Van Ausdal and Professor Michael Gilding from Flinders University.

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