Skills Review 2012

Introduction

NERC is the UK's main agency for funding and managing research, postgraduate training, and knowledge exchange in the environmental sciences. As global and environmental priorities change, we need to maintain our understanding of the skills which are required by the environmental sciences sector.

The Postgraduate & Professional Skills Needs Review (published in 2010) was set up by the Environment Research Funders' Forum (now merged with Living With Environmental Change) to collect evidence on UK postgraduate and professional skills needs and training priorities in the environmental sciences sector. The Most Wanted Report set out the critical skills gaps in the sector.

Further details of the Skills Review 2010 are available.

Skills Review 2012

NERC has now published 'Most Wanted II - Postgraduate and Professional Skills Needs in the Environment Sector', a refreshed and updated report that identifies essential environmental science skills that are in short supply.

Both the first report (2010) and the second refreshed report (2012), are based on information provided directly by the environmental sciences sector about the skills gaps that exist in the UK workforce.

The results of the refresh exercise show that the skills gaps identified in the first report still persist. These include areas such as computer modelling, multi-disciplinary working, data management, numeracy and skills in translating research into practice.

Professor Duncan Wingham, NERC Chief Executive, said "In today's knowledge-based economy, economic success relies on the availability of a highly skilled workforce. In particular, the future prosperity of the UK environmental sciences sector depends on a healthy supply of people with the right skills to tackle the diverse and dynamic challenges we face. This skills review highlights specialist and transferable skills that are urgently needed to build a strong, vibrant economy."

The 'Most Wanted II' document details the 15 most critical skills gaps. It is designed to help guide students when making career choices, and to highlight priority areas for investment.

As well as the 'Most Wanted II' report, we have also published a 'Skills Framework' which gives more details on the identified skills gaps, as we did with the first skills review. Many of the 83 skills identified have areas of overlap and so we have created a redacted and condensed version ('Short Form Skills Framework'), which groups the skills gaps into 30 priority skills areas for easier reference. These can be downloaded from the links below.

The Most Wanted reports form an important resource to help the UK to develop and apply new technologies, respond to the impacts of climate change and extreme weather, and improve our knowledge and understanding of environmental issues.