Melbourne-based NGO, Work for Climate, is calling on agencies and communication professionals to 'green-skill' their workforce, launching a new iteration of its flagship Academy program aimed at equipping climate-conscious professionals with the tools to effect meaningful climate action within their organisations.

The move comes in response to LinkedIn's Global Green Skills Report 2023, which highlighted a growing demand for 'green jobs', a sector expanding nearly twice as fast as the workforce equipped to fill it. WorkforClimate’s online course seeks to meet the demand for greenskilling employees and mobilise professionals who can influence rapid climate action from their corporations.

“We know that climate is top of mind for employees when it comes to aligning with workplace values and that corporations have a huge part to play in cleaning up their act and decreasing emissions. But only 1 in 8 people currently have the skills relevant to abating the climate crisis. So we need to change that, quickly," said WorkforClimate Director Lucy Piper.

The latest iteration of the WorkforClimate Acadmey course will take enrolled employees on a three-month learning journey, involving a combination of on-demand material and fortnightly live sessions with climate experts and coaches.

“Business-as-usual is failing us and corporate inaction is costing us our last chance of a safe and stable climate. So we are on a mission to build a movement of people on the inside of the corporate sector who are driving change from within, and it’s already working," said Piper.

Previous WorkforClimate Academy graduate, Laura Wilson, helped her company move to 100% renewable energy. She said that the online community kept her inspired and motivated during the wins, and the setbacks: “I find I come away even more excited and passionate because you realise there’s all these other people who are doing their own thing in their corporation. You just learn so much.”

The WorkforClimate Academy kicks off on Monday 8 April and is currently open for registration to employees of for-profit companies with at least 50 employees. The program will cost ‘company-funded employees’ $599, with a significant discount for individuals who are self-funding the course, who will pay $199.