Vanuatu Youth want Climate Change Jobs!!

Port Vila 25 July 2019
Today the Government of Vanuatu is hosting its annual Career Days, during which government departments showcase the job opportunities that are available to young people within the public service.
But this year, there is a newcomer to the Career Fair: A Climate Change Jobs Booth. Climate experts from civil society, the private sector and development partners are on-hand to speak to students about hundreds of climate change related Jobs here in Vanuatu and throughout the Pacific.
The impacts of climate change are here, and worsening everyday. Jobs of the future, in almost all sectors, will need to incorporate climate-related skills.
Development partners are investing billions of dollars into climate change resilience programs, but many of those jobs are taken by people living outside the Pacific region.
Today, the Vanuatu Climate Action Network, the Vanuatu Business Resilience Council, the Ministry of Climate Change and the Australia-Pacific Climate Partnership have put experts at the Climate Change Jobs Booth to encourage and motivate Vanuatu’s next generation employees and leaders to consider climate change occupations.
Many NGOs and CSOs are now demanding climate resilience skills and experience. If you want to be competitive in the job market these days, you have to have practical capacity related to climate change,” says Stephanie Stephens of the Vanuatu Climate Action Network.
The same demands apply to the private sector in Vanuatu, with Cyclone Pam in 2015 wiping out over 64% of the nation’s GDP and dealing a devastating blow to local business owners. Glen Craig, Chairman of the Vanuatu Business Resilience Council confirmed that “today, every business, especially the micro, small and medium enterprises, require staff and management that is fully competent in resilience, continuity planning and economic adaptation strategies to meet every increasing climate risks.”
This is the first Career Day in the Pacific to explicitly acknowledge the role of climate change in influencing the Pacific Climate Labour Market. The Australia Pacific Climate Partnership is currently conducting a Climate Skills Audit thought the region to understand demand and supply of Pacific Island skills.
Mr George Koran, of VCAN is optimistic that “with the increasing understanding that climate change is transforming our economy and way of life, if we plan now, there will be positive employment opportunities for our youth to lead the world in highest level climate mitigation and adaptation skills.”
For more information, contact VanuatuClimateActionNetwork@gmail.com or cfassistant@vcci.vu or media@vrbc.vu