The Green Skills NSW Strategy led by the Department of Education and Training develops and delivers targeted training to promote more efficient use of resources.
The Green Small Business Incentives program provides a subsidy of up to $1000 per participant in short, specially tailored courses that provide the skills to manage small business more sustainably and to gain a competitive advantage as new low-carbon markets emerge.
Short courses will focus on how to:
- integrate sustainability into business planning and processes
- develop and manage environmentally sustainable business practice
- identify green skills required in the workforce
- develop and deliver innovative sustainable products and services.
Up to two subsidies are available to each eligible small business wanting to train managers, supervisors and environment officers in green skills.
The Energy Efficiency Training for Trades and Professionals Program has been developed to ensure the NSW workforce has the skills to implement new energy saving opportunities. Advice and financial subsidies are available from the Department of Education and Training for short courses to provide the skills to:
- compare and adjust the energy efficiency of existing technologies, products and services
- develop and apply new energy efficient technologies, products and services
- plan and manage energy efficient infrastructure
- make and support business decisions (e.g. choice of energy efficient products, services, production methods and supply chains)
- influence behaviour change at work through leadership from managers and champions
- influence behaviour change at home through advice from sales, service and trade professionals.
Finding the information and courses that suit you
Two online resources - the Green Skills NSW Business Guide and an online Green Skills NSW Course Finder have been developed to help businesses access training.
The Green Skills NSW Business Guide provides direct access to industry information about sustainable practice, environmental compliance and government support. It provides case studies of other small business who have already embraced the green agenda with success, useful information about how a business can be more sustainable, and online tools such as a workplace 'carbon foot print' calculator.
The Green Skills NSW Course Finder provides up-to-date information about green skills training. As training organisations gear up for green training at all levels and in all industries, they will be adding their courses to this resource so that employers and learners can easily find what is being offered
For further information about Green Skills and Energy Efficiency training initiatives for NSW business, refer to the Department of Education and Training, or contact your local State Training Services Centre on 13 28 11.
For further information about the Energy Efficiency Strategy, Sustainability Advantage Program and other environment programs for NSW, refer to the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water.