Green Economy

Event: Kingston’s Green Skills and Careers Fair - Thursday 24 April, 11AM to 2PM.

The perfect opportunity to discover jobs, training and apprenticeships in a variety of exciting industries. Book your free space on Eventbrite.

There will also be dedicated armed forces support available on the day from The Royal British Legion and KeepAbility Kingston.

Meet the exhibitors:

• An Urban Rose - An Urban Rose is a sustainable clothing brand based in Kingston offering an alternative to unethical fast fashion brands.
• Borne Resourcing Ltd - A construction recruitment agency who employ local people in Kingston and nationwide.
• Cardo Group - A leading provider of high-quality building maintenance and retrofit services for social housing and public sector buildings.
• Eco Workforce Partnership - A partnership for growth in the green economy, hospitality and health care.
• Glendale Services - Skilled designers, suppliers and distributors of grounds maintenance, tree management, landscaping, landscape architectural services, planning consultancy and woodland management activities.
• GoodPeople - Specialising in placing people into roles across construction and the built environment, renewable energy, green space management, and waste/recycling.
• Just Clear - A top rated, award-winning, sustainable clearance service.
• KeepAbility Kingston - Committed to enhancing the quality of life for military families in Kingston. Our Online Hub offers comprehensive information on local council services, news, events, entertainment, work, training and educational opportunities to help you thrive while living in Kingston.
• Kingston Adult Education - Offering a diverse range of courses to people aged 19 or over, including English, maths, digital, vocational training, creative skills and wellbeing. We also provide a tailored job search programme with dedicated advisers to help learners achieve their career goals.
• Kingston Council - Providing vital services for residents in areas including; education, housing, social services, environmental services, local planning, arts and leisure.
• Onezero Energy - New start-up offering renewable home energy upgrades through a community-based approach.
• Radiant Tech UK - One of the leading companies in the field of industrial products, customer satisfaction. and net zero solutions.
• Royal British Legion - The Royal British Legion is working hard to support the most vulnerable in our society, be it older veterans that we care for, those who suffer from social isolation, or those who are simply overwhelmed by the challenges associated with the cost-of-living crisis.
• Save The World Club - Promotion of the circular economy centre in the heart of Kingston. Including an electronics repair hub, community fridge and community garden.
• South Thames Colleges Group - A large further education institution that operates four colleges in south-west London: South Thames College, Kingston College, Merton College, and Carshalton College.
• South London Partnership - SLP championing and building on the many strengths of South London as a place for people to live, work and thrive.
• SunrayRecycle CIC - Local recycling and harder to recycle items, focusing on; ink cartridges, batteries, smoke alarms & small electricals.
• Veolia Kingston - With nearly 218,000 employees on five continents, Veolia designs and deploys useful, practical solutions for managing water, waste and energy that help to radically change the world.
• Volker Highways - VolkerHighways is a market leader in the delivery of highways and street lighting term maintenance contracts.

Armed Forces support will also be available on the day.

Want to know more about jobs that help to create a greener and cleaner place to live? The South London Partnership has created a video setting out example jobs and salaries in the green sector.

CarbonSmart Bootcamp

CarbonSmart is designed for built environment professionals looking to upskill in sustainability and carbon footprint analysis.

• Next bootcamp starts: 16 May 2025
• Frequency: Every Friday, 9:00am to 5:30pm (until 11 July, with half-term break)
• Location: LSBU Southwark Campus

This practical, hands-on training is perfect for professionals in construction, procurement, sustainability, and design — from quantity surveyors and project managers to energy and facilities managers. Learn how to calculate the carbon footprint of various projects and gain essential green skills for the future.

What will participants learn?

The ability to calculate carbon emissions. This is an essential tool for businesses, helping them recognise, control, and reduce risks and promote sustainability. It is an important factor in adhering to environmental laws and responsibilities, optimising resource management, and enhancing business performance.

At the end of the programme, you will be able to:

• Apply sustainability principles within your daily business operations
• Conduct a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) using professional LCA tools
• Understand the RICS Whole Life Carbon Assessment (WLCA) principles and the data behind them
• Perform a Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions assessment
• Optimise your supply chain using sustainability principles

Funding

• 90% funded for SMEs – employers pay just £328 per employee
• 70% funded for large employers – employers pay £984 per employee

Sign up at the South Bank Innovation website.

Net Zero Futures Bootcamp 

The Net Zero Futures Bootcamp is for independent participants who are unemployed, self-employed or who want to change their career. These talented individuals will be trained and looking for their next career move in June 2025. If you’d like to find out more about adding them to your talent pool please get in touch.

100% funded for participants and the employer who hires them.

Sign up at the South Bank Innovation website.

Launch your career in the green economy with Stay Nimble 

Kingston Council has teamed up with Stay Nimble, an award-winning career coaching service, to offer residents the opportunity to begin a career path in the Green Economy.

With eight hours of dedicated coaching time and an easy to use website, you will have help to understand your strengths and skills, explore your options and get helpapplying for roles.

Find out more on the Stay Nimble website.

College courses

South Thames College Group has a range of courses using newly installed facilities available at the Merton and South Thames (Wandsworth) campus that includes; an introduction to Retrofit (funded if meeting eligibility criteria), and short, part time courses for already qualified tradesmen: Solar PV, Solar Thermal, ASHPs and EV charger installation. You can find more information and register on the South Thames College Group website.

The Retrofit Skills Centre

 

The South London Partnership has launched an online hub to signpost the construction workforce to training and qualifications in retrofit.

With 635,000 properties to decarbonise over the next decade, retrofit work in South London is a £17bn opportunity of high value jobs. The aim of the Retrofit Skills Centre is to give the South London construction sector a competitive advantage by gearing them up with the right skills and qualifications to take on the work.

Courses on the online hub include training in PAS 2035 identified roles such as Retrofit Coordinator and Retrofit Assessor, as well as a range of installation NVQs and apprenticeships.

To find out more about qualifications and training opportunities in retrofit visit retrofitskills.org.

Get an idea of the roles available by visiting the Centre's interactive 'Retrofit Careers House' webpage.

The Retrofit Skills Centre is a collaboration with the South London Partnership and is funded by the Department of Energy, Security and Net Zero via the Greater South East Net Zero Hub.