WEBVTT 00:00:07.069 --> 00:00:10.529 You're listening to the Decarbonisation Dialogue, 00:00:10.849 --> 00:00:14.810 a podcast from Salix. Welcome to the Decarbonisation 00:00:14.810 --> 00:00:17.449 Dialogue. I'm Hannah Walker and I believe that 00:00:17.449 --> 00:00:19.850 the best way to communicate a message is by being 00:00:19.850 --> 00:00:22.070 passionate about what you are talking about. 00:00:22.429 --> 00:00:25.550 Today I have Vince Glover as my guest. Welcome 00:00:25.550 --> 00:00:29.070 to Vince. As Group Director of Strategic Projects 00:00:29.070 --> 00:00:31.789 at New City College in East London, Vince is 00:00:31.789 --> 00:00:35.030 committed to embedding sustainability at the 00:00:35.030 --> 00:00:37.509 heart of the College's growth and development. 00:00:38.130 --> 00:00:40.909 It's his job to ensure that all strategic projects 00:00:40.909 --> 00:00:43.670 and initiatives, whether related to infrastructure, 00:00:43.929 --> 00:00:46.689 digital transformation or curriculum innovation, 00:00:47.390 --> 00:00:51.289 prioritise environmental and societal responsibility. 00:00:51.659 --> 00:00:54.600 Colleges and universities play a crucial role 00:00:54.600 --> 00:00:57.579 in the Net Zero discussion through their importance, 00:00:57.979 --> 00:01:00.240 though their importance can vary depending on 00:01:00.240 --> 00:01:03.520 context, policy, research and other influences. 00:01:04.079 --> 00:01:07.760 So let's get on and talk to Vince about his role 00:01:07.760 --> 00:01:11.159 with the College and how it keeps sustainability 00:01:11.159 --> 00:01:14.859 at its heart. Welcome, Vince. Thank you, Hannah. 00:01:14.879 --> 00:01:16.980 Thanks for the introduction and thanks for inviting 00:01:16.980 --> 00:01:18.659 me along to talk about sustainability today. 00:01:18.700 --> 00:01:20.819 Really, really pleased to be here. Thank you. 00:01:20.920 --> 00:01:23.560 Now Vince, let's start by talking about your 00:01:23.560 --> 00:01:25.959 own career because you've had a career in education 00:01:25.959 --> 00:01:28.700 and now you're working largely on climate issues. 00:01:29.459 --> 00:01:32.480 How's your perspective on climate change evolved 00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:39.040 over this time as well? in the education skills 00:01:39.040 --> 00:01:41.859 vocational training sector for close for far 00:01:41.859 --> 00:01:45.079 too long for close to 25 years now so quite a 00:01:45.079 --> 00:01:47.659 long period of time actually and that's within 00:01:47.659 --> 00:01:51.299 independent training providers fe colleges universities 00:01:51.299 --> 00:01:53.719 sector skills councils all different types of 00:01:53.719 --> 00:01:55.540 organizations really and actually one thing i've 00:01:55.540 --> 00:01:58.840 seen over that that period of time is definitely 00:01:58.840 --> 00:02:01.780 increased awareness about climate issues, but 00:02:01.780 --> 00:02:04.920 also the thing you said at the top actually around 00:02:04.920 --> 00:02:08.300 impact, influence, making a difference, making 00:02:08.300 --> 00:02:10.520 a change and actually organisations becoming 00:02:10.520 --> 00:02:13.580 so much more aware and wanted to be at the heart 00:02:13.580 --> 00:02:16.939 really of that positive change and really making 00:02:16.939 --> 00:02:19.000 a difference. So I've definitely seen that change 00:02:19.000 --> 00:02:21.139 in the last quarter of a century in the education 00:02:21.139 --> 00:02:24.479 sector. So sustainability really becoming much 00:02:24.479 --> 00:02:29.020 more a strategic focus for organizations like 00:02:29.020 --> 00:02:32.400 ourselves at New City College Group and people 00:02:32.400 --> 00:02:34.319 individually and collectively really wanting 00:02:34.319 --> 00:02:36.759 to make a difference. So that's definitely changed 00:02:36.759 --> 00:02:39.139 from when I started my career back in the early 00:02:39.139 --> 00:02:41.680 2000s. And I think that that's all gone in the 00:02:41.680 --> 00:02:45.060 right direction. But we're definitely conscious 00:02:45.060 --> 00:02:46.860 and a lot of providers are conscious. There's 00:02:46.860 --> 00:02:51.500 so much more to do really around affecting positive 00:02:51.500 --> 00:02:53.580 impact and change within the education sector. 00:02:54.560 --> 00:02:57.000 Now, I know that you've been able to tap into 00:02:57.000 --> 00:02:59.319 one of the funding programs that we deliver, 00:02:59.319 --> 00:03:01.360 which is the public sector decarbonisation scheme, 00:03:01.439 --> 00:03:03.740 which is all about replacing the fossil fuels 00:03:03.740 --> 00:03:06.280 heating systems with heat pumps and all of those 00:03:06.280 --> 00:03:09.680 kind of energy efficiency measures. Can you tell 00:03:09.680 --> 00:03:12.379 us a little bit about the various campuses that 00:03:12.379 --> 00:03:16.699 you've got and what kind of projects you've seen 00:03:16.699 --> 00:03:20.759 in terms of the big kind of renewable and sustainable 00:03:20.759 --> 00:03:22.879 work that's been going on at the college over 00:03:22.879 --> 00:03:25.439 the last few years? Yeah, for sure. So one thing 00:03:25.439 --> 00:03:28.240 I should say, just to set the context, in terms 00:03:28.240 --> 00:03:30.960 of us as a college group, and so New City College 00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:35.620 Group actually is a fast -growing, ever -expanding, 00:03:35.960 --> 00:03:38.759 ever -evolving, complex organisation, and it 00:03:38.759 --> 00:03:41.199 started as a relatively small college actually, 00:03:41.219 --> 00:03:45.500 going back to 2015 -16, and has actually grown 00:03:45.500 --> 00:03:48.080 exponentially over the last decade to become 00:03:48.080 --> 00:03:50.300 a huge college group, one of the largest college 00:03:50.300 --> 00:03:53.680 groups in the UK in fact. and now has 11 campuses, 00:03:54.300 --> 00:03:56.560 so that they stretch across great swathes of 00:03:56.560 --> 00:04:01.280 East London out into Essex. And so the campus 00:04:01.280 --> 00:04:03.759 and the college estate actually have become ever 00:04:03.759 --> 00:04:06.379 more complex over that period of time. And so 00:04:06.379 --> 00:04:08.560 from a very small beginning has become quite 00:04:08.560 --> 00:04:12.520 a huge organization in terms of square meterage 00:04:12.520 --> 00:04:17.079 of campus space and all the associated impacts 00:04:17.079 --> 00:04:20.199 on emissions and really the need for carbon reduction 00:04:20.199 --> 00:04:23.560 as part of that. And so that's the context of 00:04:23.560 --> 00:04:27.139 the group really, a big beast, close to 20 ,000 00:04:27.139 --> 00:04:29.100 students every year in terms of our communities 00:04:29.100 --> 00:04:32.120 that we serve, over 2 ,000 staff. And so you 00:04:32.120 --> 00:04:34.980 can see the size of the organisation now and 00:04:34.980 --> 00:04:36.860 the imperative, as you say, to make sure we're 00:04:36.860 --> 00:04:40.220 focused on reducing emissions, carbon reduction, 00:04:40.459 --> 00:04:42.699 thinking about the environment as we grow and 00:04:42.699 --> 00:04:45.660 expand as an organisation. So absolutely, we've 00:04:45.660 --> 00:04:48.420 tapped into the public sector decarbonisation. 00:04:48.639 --> 00:04:51.759 dicarbonisation scheme from Salix and we've now 00:04:51.759 --> 00:04:54.500 just completed our second project actually on 00:04:54.500 --> 00:04:59.920 our second campus. So we started in 2024 by removing 00:04:59.920 --> 00:05:02.019 all of our end -of -life gas boilers on our Redbridge 00:05:02.019 --> 00:05:04.939 campus in Essex. and then moved on last year 00:05:04.939 --> 00:05:08.120 to do a similar project at Epping and so that 00:05:08.120 --> 00:05:11.480 was our second campus and we've seen really significant 00:05:11.480 --> 00:05:14.680 reductions in gas consumption, over 90 % reduction 00:05:14.680 --> 00:05:17.240 in gas consumption on both of those campuses 00:05:17.240 --> 00:05:19.980 and obviously the associated reduction in carbon 00:05:19.980 --> 00:05:22.800 emissions which has been fantastic and so both 00:05:22.800 --> 00:05:25.180 of those projects were focused on removing gas 00:05:25.180 --> 00:05:27.160 boilers and replacing them with state -of -the 00:05:27.160 --> 00:05:30.399 -art Air source heat pumps which are obviously 00:05:30.399 --> 00:05:32.839 much more energy efficient, much better for the 00:05:32.839 --> 00:05:35.139 environment and have really had that fantastic 00:05:35.139 --> 00:05:38.100 positive impact on the overall reduction of our 00:05:38.100 --> 00:05:40.360 emissions across those two campuses. And then 00:05:40.360 --> 00:05:43.019 we're planning a third and so we've got a third 00:05:43.019 --> 00:05:47.240 part of the funding scenario to go at Ardley 00:05:47.240 --> 00:05:49.819 Green out in Havering and so that's the third 00:05:49.819 --> 00:05:52.829 part of our plan. to further reduce our emissions 00:05:52.829 --> 00:05:55.689 across those key large college campuses. And 00:05:55.689 --> 00:05:59.269 so we've been quite focused with our contractor 00:05:59.269 --> 00:06:02.670 partners at each stage of the scheme on the best 00:06:02.670 --> 00:06:04.769 possible solutions, the most energy efficient 00:06:04.769 --> 00:06:08.129 solutions, and also the most effective solutions 00:06:08.129 --> 00:06:11.170 for the long term. So actually our focus definitely 00:06:11.170 --> 00:06:14.230 is not on how do we just... deliver funding, 00:06:14.310 --> 00:06:17.730 how do we do the short -term need scenario, we 00:06:17.730 --> 00:06:19.689 really are focused on something that's going 00:06:19.689 --> 00:06:23.129 to last and be impactful for our students, our 00:06:23.129 --> 00:06:26.470 staff, our communities, really for the much longer 00:06:26.470 --> 00:06:29.009 term. So sustainable solutions really at the 00:06:29.009 --> 00:06:32.209 heart of our focus on those campuses and that 00:06:32.209 --> 00:06:34.449 particular piece of funding. So it's gone well, 00:06:34.709 --> 00:06:36.930 it's gone really well actually in terms of the 00:06:36.930 --> 00:06:40.170 reductions, but also I think in terms of the 00:06:40.170 --> 00:06:42.949 comfort levels within the environments. campuses 00:06:42.949 --> 00:06:45.610 and that's also quite key for us that actually 00:06:45.610 --> 00:06:47.790 you know students are at the heart of our of 00:06:47.790 --> 00:06:49.910 our business of what we do that that's our mission 00:06:49.910 --> 00:06:52.689 really to serve them and to make sure we're providing 00:06:52.689 --> 00:06:55.970 you know first first -class high quality learning 00:06:55.970 --> 00:06:58.709 environments in which students can learn study 00:06:58.709 --> 00:07:02.350 and achieve their qualifications. really important 00:07:02.350 --> 00:07:04.410 in terms of the environment but also in terms 00:07:04.410 --> 00:07:09.050 of our end users. It's a huge real estate, as 00:07:09.050 --> 00:07:13.129 you say, various campuses and 20 ,000 students 00:07:13.129 --> 00:07:15.589 and you have a responsibility there obviously 00:07:15.589 --> 00:07:19.790 to educate but obviously you've also got this 00:07:19.790 --> 00:07:23.730 interest in training and green skilling upskilling 00:07:23.730 --> 00:07:26.910 and green skills for that generation and for 00:07:26.910 --> 00:07:29.569 those students. Can you tell me a little bit 00:07:29.569 --> 00:07:33.399 about that? and how you're looking to train the 00:07:33.399 --> 00:07:36.600 workforce because there are various figures around 00:07:36.600 --> 00:07:41.180 I think I read somewhere that to reach in for 00:07:41.180 --> 00:07:44.759 London alone to reach net zero by 2030 we need 00:07:44.759 --> 00:07:47.060 to improve skills and apparently we've got about 00:07:47.060 --> 00:07:50.379 4 000 people working in retrofit in London at 00:07:50.379 --> 00:07:53.980 the moment but we need about 60 000 So you've 00:07:53.980 --> 00:07:57.860 got 20 ,000 students there at your college. What 00:07:57.860 --> 00:08:00.459 are you doing to get these people skilled up 00:08:00.459 --> 00:08:03.500 to take the jobs for the future, but also to 00:08:03.500 --> 00:08:07.339 ensure that we can get those energy efficiency 00:08:07.339 --> 00:08:10.100 measures installed? Well, I think you're absolutely 00:08:10.100 --> 00:08:12.920 right Hannah. I think we've all seen as the demand 00:08:12.920 --> 00:08:15.420 has increased and is increasing all the time 00:08:15.420 --> 00:08:17.959 really for these types of skills. I think those 00:08:17.959 --> 00:08:21.310 skills gaps become even more in focus really 00:08:21.310 --> 00:08:23.110 in terms of you know how are we going to fill 00:08:23.110 --> 00:08:26.110 those gaps with the workforce of the future it's 00:08:26.110 --> 00:08:27.990 not i guess not even the future it's the workforce 00:08:27.990 --> 00:08:30.329 of the here and now in terms of the demand for 00:08:30.329 --> 00:08:32.950 some of these low carbon solutions so we've been 00:08:32.950 --> 00:08:36.269 really focused on thinking about the next generation 00:08:36.269 --> 00:08:38.490 of learning and skills and the types of facilities 00:08:38.490 --> 00:08:41.590 that we that we need as an organization to make 00:08:41.590 --> 00:08:44.309 sure we're we're filling those skills gaps with 00:08:44.309 --> 00:08:48.230 the right types of individuals completely competent, 00:08:48.389 --> 00:08:50.269 fully competent with all the skills and knowledge 00:08:50.269 --> 00:08:52.929 that they need. And part of that has been investment 00:08:52.929 --> 00:08:56.840 in, again, in our college campuses. We've invested 00:08:56.840 --> 00:08:59.620 in low carbon skills labs. We've worked carefully 00:08:59.620 --> 00:09:01.899 with manufacturers and employers to make sure 00:09:01.899 --> 00:09:04.519 we've got cutting edge facilities, equipment, 00:09:04.980 --> 00:09:06.919 all the latest equipment as it advances, you 00:09:06.919 --> 00:09:09.059 know, month by month really now in terms of latest 00:09:09.059 --> 00:09:12.220 technology to make sure we're training the workforce 00:09:12.220 --> 00:09:14.460 of, you know, of the future with the right types 00:09:14.460 --> 00:09:16.740 of skills and the right type of equipment. So 00:09:16.740 --> 00:09:18.419 across our campus estate now we've got these 00:09:18.419 --> 00:09:21.740 low carbon labs. and also critically as part 00:09:21.740 --> 00:09:24.279 of that mix making sure we're providing the right 00:09:24.279 --> 00:09:27.500 level of CPD to staff so actually we are then 00:09:27.500 --> 00:09:29.460 equipping those individual students with the 00:09:29.460 --> 00:09:32.080 right types of skills with the right kinds of 00:09:32.080 --> 00:09:34.399 skill sets from people that actually have the 00:09:34.399 --> 00:09:37.549 the very latest knowledge. and can deliver that 00:09:37.549 --> 00:09:40.730 knowledge to them. So partly building those labs, 00:09:40.850 --> 00:09:44.149 but also making sure that our own training resources 00:09:44.149 --> 00:09:46.789 fully upscale to make sure we're meeting the 00:09:46.789 --> 00:09:49.129 needs of all the different low carbon sectors. 00:09:49.629 --> 00:09:52.490 So there's a huge piece of work. We were fortunate 00:09:52.490 --> 00:09:55.230 enough to be recognized as a green gown award 00:09:55.230 --> 00:09:58.049 winner last year. within the next generation 00:09:58.049 --> 00:10:00.809 learning and skills category. So fantastic to 00:10:00.809 --> 00:10:03.330 get recognition as a further education college 00:10:03.330 --> 00:10:06.110 for all that fantastic work that goes into developing 00:10:06.110 --> 00:10:09.669 those low -carbon skills courses and then delivering 00:10:09.669 --> 00:10:11.730 them and then working with employers to make 00:10:11.730 --> 00:10:13.850 sure we're getting people into employment at 00:10:13.850 --> 00:10:15.870 the right time with the right skills. So yeah, 00:10:15.909 --> 00:10:18.090 we see ourselves very much at the forefront of 00:10:18.090 --> 00:10:21.269 the low -carbon skills revolution. But again, 00:10:21.549 --> 00:10:23.669 we know there's a... back to the demand piece 00:10:23.669 --> 00:10:27.190 and the data, we know there's a huge set of skills 00:10:27.190 --> 00:10:29.870 gaps still to be filled and so it's definitely 00:10:29.870 --> 00:10:32.009 an evolving picture and we're making sure we're 00:10:32.009 --> 00:10:34.750 filling those gaps as best we can. Now what does, 00:10:34.830 --> 00:10:37.049 for someone who's not a scientist and I'm not 00:10:37.049 --> 00:10:40.649 a student unfortunately, but what does a renewable 00:10:40.649 --> 00:10:44.389 or low carbon skills lab look like? What is that? 00:10:44.490 --> 00:10:46.649 Can you explain that? You've mentioned it a couple 00:10:46.649 --> 00:10:50.049 of times. What is, and who can access that? What 00:10:50.049 --> 00:10:52.879 qualifications do you need? What will you be 00:10:52.879 --> 00:10:54.840 doing in there? What will the students be doing 00:10:54.840 --> 00:10:57.179 in there? So they'll be doing a range and they 00:10:57.179 --> 00:10:58.779 do do a range of different things actually within 00:10:58.779 --> 00:11:02.899 those labs and so it kind of depends. on the 00:11:02.899 --> 00:11:06.039 on the sub sector involved so for existing electricians 00:11:06.039 --> 00:11:09.240 for example we then upskill people with level 00:11:09.240 --> 00:11:11.299 three electrical qualifications with the right 00:11:11.299 --> 00:11:14.240 competencies as a starting point to make sure 00:11:14.240 --> 00:11:16.019 they're fully competent as electricians with 00:11:16.019 --> 00:11:18.940 the bolt -on units for things like solar pv so 00:11:18.940 --> 00:11:22.059 they'll work on solar panels actually in situ 00:11:22.059 --> 00:11:24.519 within those labs and outside outside those labs 00:11:24.519 --> 00:11:27.379 to see how all the component parts fit together 00:11:27.379 --> 00:11:30.940 so again it does depend on the on the occupation 00:11:30.940 --> 00:11:32.940 levels of each each of these different kind of 00:11:32.940 --> 00:11:36.159 skill sets. So that's for electricians. For plumbers, 00:11:36.259 --> 00:11:38.620 we have a similar thing around solar thermal 00:11:38.620 --> 00:11:41.539 panels and heat pumps and how that technology 00:11:41.539 --> 00:11:43.700 is advanced and how that fits together with existing 00:11:43.700 --> 00:11:46.759 systems domestically and commercially. And so 00:11:46.759 --> 00:11:48.379 again, there's a range of equipment, as I say, 00:11:48.559 --> 00:11:51.200 that we've developed in conjunction with the 00:11:51.200 --> 00:11:54.690 latest. manufacturing techniques and advances 00:11:54.690 --> 00:11:57.090 in that technology to make sure it's all up to 00:11:57.090 --> 00:12:00.210 date and again you know very often you will see 00:12:00.210 --> 00:12:02.950 in training centers equipment that's sat there 00:12:02.950 --> 00:12:05.429 for a long time one thing we know for sure is 00:12:05.429 --> 00:12:07.850 that actually you need the latest equipment so 00:12:07.850 --> 00:12:09.590 that actually when people are up skilled they 00:12:09.590 --> 00:12:12.649 can go and talk to customers and talk to communities 00:12:12.649 --> 00:12:15.070 with the very latest information on the latest 00:12:15.070 --> 00:12:18.409 technology so it is very hands -on it's not a 00:12:18.409 --> 00:12:20.309 theoretical set of courses and actually you come 00:12:20.309 --> 00:12:22.720 and sit in a classroom and you learn about the 00:12:22.720 --> 00:12:25.940 theory, it is all about the hands -on installation, 00:12:26.580 --> 00:12:29.460 maintenance, control, updates to all the latest 00:12:29.460 --> 00:12:31.799 technology and equipment. So it is quite high 00:12:31.799 --> 00:12:33.320 -tech, actually. I was surprised when I first 00:12:33.320 --> 00:12:35.600 stepped into a lab to see just how much there 00:12:35.600 --> 00:12:38.379 was in there and how much there was to play with. 00:12:38.840 --> 00:12:40.379 And I say play with, but obviously it's all about 00:12:40.379 --> 00:12:42.919 making sure people are competent and skillful 00:12:42.919 --> 00:12:44.860 in these bits of equipment, which is really important. 00:12:45.220 --> 00:12:47.500 And so hopefully they leave out our new City 00:12:47.500 --> 00:12:50.679 College ECO labs with all of that requisite. 00:12:50.700 --> 00:12:53.960 skills, experience, competence, and then go into 00:12:53.960 --> 00:12:56.620 the outside world and then install and maintain 00:12:56.620 --> 00:12:58.860 those systems effectively for customers. So, 00:12:59.019 --> 00:13:01.059 yeah, a huge amount of work. One other thing 00:13:01.059 --> 00:13:03.659 I would also say, we're also thinking about developing, 00:13:03.919 --> 00:13:06.759 all the time developing new courses. A good example 00:13:06.759 --> 00:13:10.019 of that most recently was drone technology. So 00:13:10.019 --> 00:13:12.019 thinking about drone technology as a construction 00:13:12.019 --> 00:13:15.370 site. and thermal imaging and how all that fits 00:13:15.370 --> 00:13:18.850 together in terms of not just the nuts and bolts 00:13:18.850 --> 00:13:21.490 of you know fitting equipment but actually the 00:13:21.490 --> 00:13:25.029 assessment of I suppose the thermal nature of 00:13:25.029 --> 00:13:28.330 buildings domestically and commercially and making 00:13:28.330 --> 00:13:30.620 sure people are you know thinking about getting 00:13:30.620 --> 00:13:32.580 drones into the air are they competent to use 00:13:32.580 --> 00:13:35.460 those drones again it's very hands -on it's not 00:13:35.460 --> 00:13:37.940 a theoretical piece of work it's training that 00:13:37.940 --> 00:13:40.059 gets you really to the heart of those low carbon 00:13:40.059 --> 00:13:42.720 solutions so yeah really exciting to see it in 00:13:42.720 --> 00:13:45.639 action actually. Sounds incredible for the students 00:13:45.639 --> 00:13:48.419 and they come from far afield do they to New 00:13:48.419 --> 00:13:50.320 City do they come from all over London or all 00:13:50.320 --> 00:13:52.980 over the country or is it East London which area 00:13:52.980 --> 00:13:55.740 geographical area? Now we've got just so many 00:13:55.740 --> 00:13:58.639 campuses our geographical areas it's just expanding 00:13:58.639 --> 00:14:00.919 all the time. So actually we get people coming 00:14:00.919 --> 00:14:02.879 from obviously big parts, huge parts of East 00:14:02.879 --> 00:14:06.059 London, North London, parts of Essex. But also 00:14:06.059 --> 00:14:08.059 critically now because we've developed courses 00:14:08.059 --> 00:14:10.840 that are quite niche and quite unique. I think 00:14:10.840 --> 00:14:13.500 we are the only ones or definitely the first 00:14:13.500 --> 00:14:16.799 for the drone course. So we get people traveling 00:14:16.799 --> 00:14:19.740 some distance to come and join our courses because 00:14:19.740 --> 00:14:22.559 they are in high demand but actually the supply 00:14:22.559 --> 00:14:24.500 of them isn't quite where it is at the moment 00:14:24.500 --> 00:14:26.799 or it needs to be so yeah we are quite specialist 00:14:26.799 --> 00:14:29.460 in some of these areas and people do travel and 00:14:29.460 --> 00:14:32.159 they want obviously the very latest skills to 00:14:32.159 --> 00:14:34.419 equip themselves with. That is fascinating a 00:14:34.419 --> 00:14:38.120 drone course on how to use drones but very practical 00:14:38.120 --> 00:14:42.620 it sounds incredible but very practical and in 00:14:42.620 --> 00:14:44.539 terms of employers because you've touched upon 00:14:44.539 --> 00:14:47.500 how important it is you're training this these 00:14:47.500 --> 00:14:49.720 future skills, these really important green skills, 00:14:50.059 --> 00:14:53.740 building relationships with employers from around 00:14:53.740 --> 00:14:56.039 the region. But how do you think governments, 00:14:56.659 --> 00:15:00.840 business, education, and all of us can work more 00:15:00.840 --> 00:15:04.879 collaboratively on climate? Already you're talking 00:15:04.879 --> 00:15:07.659 about how you're working with business, but where 00:15:07.659 --> 00:15:10.200 does everybody else come into that? One thing 00:15:10.200 --> 00:15:13.320 definitely always in our minds is how we connect. 00:15:13.710 --> 00:15:15.970 the dots of the different systems involved in 00:15:15.970 --> 00:15:18.389 the education skills landscape. And obviously 00:15:18.389 --> 00:15:20.269 part of that is thinking about government policy. 00:15:20.389 --> 00:15:23.169 Some of that is for us very local policy. So 00:15:23.169 --> 00:15:25.889 we work closely with the GLA on various different 00:15:25.889 --> 00:15:28.269 committees and groups and steering groups, including 00:15:28.269 --> 00:15:31.110 with employers to define what those skills need 00:15:31.110 --> 00:15:33.509 to be and then deliver them. But also I think 00:15:33.509 --> 00:15:36.669 that interconnectivity between government and 00:15:36.669 --> 00:15:41.049 policy employers. and then us as the organisations 00:15:41.049 --> 00:15:43.649 that deliver those skills is ever more critical. 00:15:43.830 --> 00:15:45.669 And I think we've seen, and I've definitely seen 00:15:45.669 --> 00:15:48.990 over a long period of time, how a non -joined 00:15:48.990 --> 00:15:52.000 up approach. very quickly leads to failure. So 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:54.299 actually the investment that everyone wants to 00:15:54.299 --> 00:15:56.759 see in skills, for example, actually leads down 00:15:56.759 --> 00:15:58.440 a bit of a cul -de -sac because it doesn't then 00:15:58.440 --> 00:16:00.759 lead to gainful employment for those individuals. 00:16:01.320 --> 00:16:03.019 And so actually, if you don't have employers 00:16:03.019 --> 00:16:06.419 in the mix with providers like ourselves, aligned 00:16:06.419 --> 00:16:09.059 to a coherent policy that joins up all the different 00:16:09.059 --> 00:16:12.220 parts of all the different systems that very 00:16:12.220 --> 00:16:15.360 often don't work together, we try to connect 00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:18.879 those really. We make sure employers and employer 00:16:18.879 --> 00:16:20.639 committees are at the heart of what we do. So 00:16:20.639 --> 00:16:23.480 they shape our provision rather than us impose 00:16:23.480 --> 00:16:26.840 on employers and economies the things that we 00:16:26.840 --> 00:16:30.740 think they want to see. And so we are very close 00:16:30.740 --> 00:16:33.799 to all of the local and national policies around 00:16:33.799 --> 00:16:36.820 sustainability, around skills. And we work very 00:16:36.820 --> 00:16:39.669 closely with employers too. also help them navigate 00:16:39.669 --> 00:16:42.149 what those policies mean and how they can make 00:16:42.149 --> 00:16:45.090 a real difference to the productivity and the 00:16:45.090 --> 00:16:47.809 output for their particular businesses. And how 00:16:47.809 --> 00:16:50.049 about your local community because as you say 00:16:50.049 --> 00:16:52.409 you've got campuses in various areas spread quite 00:16:52.409 --> 00:16:55.409 far afield and so they'll all have their own 00:16:55.409 --> 00:16:57.629 specific kind of community identities if you 00:16:57.629 --> 00:17:00.409 like. Is there any joining up with, we know your 00:17:00.409 --> 00:17:02.509 students are passionate, we've got 20 ,000 students, 00:17:02.889 --> 00:17:04.910 I think you said you had about 2 ,000 staff. 00:17:05.180 --> 00:17:07.460 Is there any joining up with any of those kind 00:17:07.460 --> 00:17:10.859 of climate community and local environment action 00:17:10.859 --> 00:17:14.539 groups? One thing we wanted to do with our initial 00:17:14.539 --> 00:17:16.579 five -year environmental strategy which started 00:17:16.579 --> 00:17:21.500 in 2020 -21 was do that very thing knowing that 00:17:21.500 --> 00:17:24.599 actually we had quite a large set of those community 00:17:24.599 --> 00:17:26.980 organisations and steering groups and working 00:17:26.980 --> 00:17:30.019 committees all working together. but very often 00:17:30.019 --> 00:17:33.500 working in their own silos, sub -regionally very 00:17:33.500 --> 00:17:35.319 often, and how could we bring those together. 00:17:35.940 --> 00:17:39.720 So we work carefully with climate groups in Tao 00:17:39.720 --> 00:17:42.619 Hamlet, for example, we did a similar thing with 00:17:42.619 --> 00:17:45.240 Hackney Borough Council, and very often we will 00:17:45.240 --> 00:17:47.960 pull those organisations together and think about 00:17:47.960 --> 00:17:50.440 how we can join, again, join those dots together. 00:17:50.750 --> 00:17:56.210 to make sure we've got a wider focus on positive 00:17:56.210 --> 00:17:59.349 impact, not just in a small area of London, but 00:17:59.349 --> 00:18:01.690 how we can share best practice and pull that 00:18:01.690 --> 00:18:04.349 together. A lot of that work is done by the GLE 00:18:04.349 --> 00:18:06.990 Climate Leadership Group, of which we're a prominent 00:18:06.990 --> 00:18:08.890 member, and thinking just about the different 00:18:08.890 --> 00:18:11.150 London boroughs that we serve, what works well 00:18:11.150 --> 00:18:13.750 in each of those boroughs, and how can we mainstream 00:18:13.750 --> 00:18:16.500 that really good... good positive practice across 00:18:16.500 --> 00:18:19.259 the other parts of the geography in which we 00:18:19.259 --> 00:18:21.759 serve our communities really and that is critical. 00:18:22.380 --> 00:18:24.380 The other thing we really try to do is make sure 00:18:24.380 --> 00:18:27.339 we enable and empower those communities themselves 00:18:27.339 --> 00:18:29.880 to take action. We'll actually you know refocus 00:18:29.880 --> 00:18:33.119 on skills and training and you know vocational 00:18:33.119 --> 00:18:35.480 pathways into some of these skills but actually 00:18:35.480 --> 00:18:38.720 that community action is just so critical particularly 00:18:38.720 --> 00:18:40.640 around employment particularly around you know 00:18:40.640 --> 00:18:43.160 local impact and so yeah we do a huge amount 00:18:43.160 --> 00:18:46.259 of work putting those together and thinking carefully 00:18:46.259 --> 00:18:48.799 about the right types of action. So it's very 00:18:48.799 --> 00:18:51.019 dynamic isn't it and very much a kind of moving 00:18:51.019 --> 00:18:53.359 feast as well of a lot of action taking part 00:18:53.359 --> 00:18:57.079 and collaboration. How do you, you're obviously 00:18:57.079 --> 00:19:00.519 very positive and you've got to be because you've 00:19:00.519 --> 00:19:04.720 got a lot of work to be done, but how do you 00:19:04.720 --> 00:19:09.359 maintain that kind of motivation when we're looking 00:19:09.359 --> 00:19:12.420 at the big stories that we're looking at? around 00:19:12.420 --> 00:19:16.619 climate on our news every day? Yeah I think it's 00:19:16.619 --> 00:19:19.859 really easy to get bogged down with the negativity 00:19:19.859 --> 00:19:21.680 I think just generally of the news let alone 00:19:21.680 --> 00:19:24.599 sustainability news and policy but actually I 00:19:24.599 --> 00:19:26.599 think maintaining that positive focus is just 00:19:26.599 --> 00:19:29.900 so important and as an organisation as individuals 00:19:29.900 --> 00:19:33.740 within an organisation we are really focused 00:19:33.740 --> 00:19:38.240 on momentum, positivity, celebrating the wins. 00:19:38.700 --> 00:19:40.099 I think the other thing that really helps us 00:19:40.099 --> 00:19:42.980 is actually our students, our students themselves 00:19:42.980 --> 00:19:45.980 and seeing them in action. And so over the last 00:19:45.980 --> 00:19:48.440 few years, we've really tried to foster that 00:19:48.440 --> 00:19:51.430 environment of... student -led action. So actually 00:19:51.430 --> 00:19:53.910 this is not something that we impose from our 00:19:53.910 --> 00:19:57.509 governance and SMT down onto students. This is 00:19:57.509 --> 00:20:00.109 led by the students themselves and so if you 00:20:00.109 --> 00:20:03.470 ever need any any positivity or you know the 00:20:03.470 --> 00:20:05.589 feel -good factor I would encourage you to come 00:20:05.589 --> 00:20:09.430 along to our annual NCC goes green week which 00:20:09.430 --> 00:20:12.440 actually in the year just gone became a fortnight, 00:20:12.539 --> 00:20:14.839 came two weeks, there was just so much that students 00:20:14.839 --> 00:20:17.160 wanted to do and get involved with, we had to 00:20:17.160 --> 00:20:20.119 expand it. And so, and within, within those few 00:20:20.119 --> 00:20:22.960 weeks, the positivity from students themselves 00:20:22.960 --> 00:20:25.160 around wanting to make a difference, wanting 00:20:25.160 --> 00:20:27.640 to raise awareness, get more people involved, 00:20:27.900 --> 00:20:30.519 finding the advocates for change, being the advocates 00:20:30.519 --> 00:20:32.859 for change, you know, that level of positivity, 00:20:33.220 --> 00:20:36.019 I think helps. It drives you on, it moves you 00:20:36.019 --> 00:20:38.559 forward, doesn't it? Yeah, it's the great motivator 00:20:38.559 --> 00:20:42.279 that goes green week, sounds fantastic. OK, so 00:20:42.279 --> 00:20:44.079 bearing in mind what you've said about the students, 00:20:44.420 --> 00:20:47.720 which are highly motivating and you're always 00:20:47.720 --> 00:20:50.640 very much aware of them because they are the 00:20:50.640 --> 00:20:53.759 future. And it's a big question, Vince, but I 00:20:53.759 --> 00:20:57.039 know that you used to big projects and big questions. 00:20:57.500 --> 00:21:00.519 So if you could implement one change globally 00:21:00.519 --> 00:21:04.940 on climate tomorrow, what would it be? That is 00:21:04.940 --> 00:21:08.329 a big question. and only one you know there's 00:21:08.329 --> 00:21:10.769 probably a whole long list of things but probably 00:21:10.769 --> 00:21:13.289 close to the top if not at the top of the list 00:21:13.289 --> 00:21:15.890 would be obviously thinking about the power of 00:21:15.890 --> 00:21:17.750 education and you'd expect me to say that wouldn't 00:21:17.750 --> 00:21:20.190 you being an educator be part of the education 00:21:20.190 --> 00:21:22.910 system for so long being part of a fantastic 00:21:22.910 --> 00:21:25.329 positive college group education is key i think 00:21:25.329 --> 00:21:28.569 and so for me the the biggest action would be 00:21:28.569 --> 00:21:34.410 around properly embedding integrating sustainability 00:21:34.410 --> 00:21:37.109 education in all levels of curriculum and that's 00:21:37.109 --> 00:21:39.769 all the way from early years and I've got children 00:21:39.769 --> 00:21:41.650 you know I've seen them go through the education 00:21:41.650 --> 00:21:43.710 system and what they learn and how they learn 00:21:43.710 --> 00:21:46.490 from a very young age I think that that raising 00:21:46.490 --> 00:21:50.220 awareness of environmental impact positive and 00:21:50.220 --> 00:21:52.940 negative and building that level of education 00:21:52.940 --> 00:21:55.099 from a young age all the way through primary 00:21:55.099 --> 00:21:57.279 school into secondary school to university and 00:21:57.279 --> 00:21:59.559 beyond as adult learners, all the way through 00:21:59.559 --> 00:22:04.019 our lives as students and learners. I think making 00:22:04.019 --> 00:22:07.000 sure that's properly embedded within our education 00:22:07.000 --> 00:22:09.859 structure for me is the big thing and I think 00:22:09.859 --> 00:22:12.019 that's nationally, that's locally, that's globally, 00:22:12.240 --> 00:22:15.160 that's at all levels. I just think that that 00:22:15.160 --> 00:22:19.599 power of education is so important and It's easily 00:22:19.599 --> 00:22:22.859 said, but much harder, I think, to do and enact. 00:22:23.220 --> 00:22:24.880 I think it's a very easy thing to say. We want 00:22:24.880 --> 00:22:27.319 to embed things. And again, I go into colleges 00:22:27.319 --> 00:22:30.819 and schools and other educators. And everyone 00:22:30.819 --> 00:22:33.619 likes to talk about, we embed things. We start 00:22:33.619 --> 00:22:35.819 to talk about these things in the classroom. 00:22:36.660 --> 00:22:38.880 But actually, I think it really needs a coherent, 00:22:39.279 --> 00:22:42.200 structured, sustained approach. and that's top 00:22:42.200 --> 00:22:44.519 down and bottom up i think at all levels of our 00:22:44.519 --> 00:22:46.819 education system and for me that's the big thing 00:22:46.819 --> 00:22:49.039 that's the thing that drives up so education 00:22:49.039 --> 00:22:52.460 at the core final question for you and i have 00:22:52.460 --> 00:22:54.940 to ask it it's not such a big question but it 00:22:54.940 --> 00:22:56.700 holds you to account a little bit because we're 00:22:56.700 --> 00:22:58.880 talking about climate we're talking about sustainability 00:22:58.880 --> 00:23:01.980 now let's just talk about turn it on you for 00:23:01.980 --> 00:23:04.299 a moment do you think you lead a sustainable 00:23:04.299 --> 00:23:06.400 lifestyle when you leave the colony you go home 00:23:06.400 --> 00:23:09.019 what what are your kind of green or sustainable 00:23:09.019 --> 00:23:13.730 habits I do my best, I hopefully do my bit. But 00:23:13.730 --> 00:23:16.829 again, being involved in sustainability education 00:23:16.829 --> 00:23:19.130 more closely over the last few years has obviously 00:23:19.130 --> 00:23:23.009 changed my perspective on things. And so I do 00:23:23.009 --> 00:23:25.650 what I can when I can. And so I think carefully 00:23:25.650 --> 00:23:30.230 about waste in particular, at home, in the house, 00:23:30.329 --> 00:23:33.089 thinking about recycling, what needs to go where 00:23:33.089 --> 00:23:36.329 and when. I've also invested... try to put my 00:23:36.329 --> 00:23:38.990 money where my mouth is very often thinking about 00:23:38.990 --> 00:23:41.410 investing in new technologies. So actually, we 00:23:41.410 --> 00:23:43.869 now have solar panels and a battery here at home 00:23:43.869 --> 00:23:47.230 in terms of harnessing the power of the sun, 00:23:47.490 --> 00:23:49.609 thinking about solar PV and how that supports, 00:23:49.609 --> 00:23:52.809 you know, reduce consumption and feed that back 00:23:52.809 --> 00:23:55.990 into the grid, etc. And so, yeah, trying to do 00:23:55.990 --> 00:23:58.390 as much as I can really within the home environment, 00:23:58.490 --> 00:24:01.430 as well as the environment. And so there's more 00:24:01.430 --> 00:24:03.049 to do. There's more I can do. There's more I 00:24:03.049 --> 00:24:05.170 want to do. It's finding the time and the money. 00:24:05.420 --> 00:24:08.140 and I've got the inclination it's just finding 00:24:08.140 --> 00:24:11.519 those things I think to do. Thank you, thank 00:24:11.519 --> 00:24:13.859 you very much to Vince and fascinating to hear 00:24:13.859 --> 00:24:17.900 about the drones and obviously as well as the 00:24:17.900 --> 00:24:22.099 initiatives being run by the students there and 00:24:22.099 --> 00:24:24.059 your work with Hackney and Tower Hamlets and 00:24:24.059 --> 00:24:27.579 the communities of which you serve so superb. 00:24:27.859 --> 00:24:30.460 Thank you very much to Vince Glover from New 00:24:30.460 --> 00:24:33.299 City College. There can be no doubt that climate 00:24:33.299 --> 00:24:35.140 change is the biggest challenge of our time. 00:24:35.559 --> 00:24:37.539 Today we must reduce greenhouse gas emissions 00:24:37.539 --> 00:24:40.380 to slow global warming. Today we must act for 00:24:40.380 --> 00:24:42.519 tomorrow, adjusting our lifestyles to current 00:24:42.519 --> 00:24:45.079 and future impacts of climate change. Today we 00:24:45.079 --> 00:24:47.579 must use our collective wisdom to deliver on 00:24:47.579 --> 00:24:50.799 our climate commitments. Today we work for tomorrow's 00:24:50.799 --> 00:24:53.339 world. Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast 00:24:53.339 --> 00:24:55.880 channels and please email us with your news and 00:24:55.880 --> 00:25:00.390 views at podcast at salixfinance .co .uk. Big 00:25:00.390 --> 00:25:03.109 thanks again to Vince. Thanks, Hannah. Thanks 00:25:03.109 --> 00:25:04.049 for having me. Thanks a lot.