There are just 29 years to net zero – a commitment enshrined in UK law. A steady drumbeat of disasters caused by extreme weather has highlighted the peril we are in, from deadly floods to blazing landscapes to rising seas.

Amid all the talk of urgency and an impending ‘green industrial revolution’, many people in the engineering and tech sectors are asking what they can do. From renewables to domestic heating to electrification, specialist knowledge will be in demand.

When thousands of engineers and technologists first trained, ‘green’ careers weren’t really an option. Even now as the clock is ticking, there’s been a dearth of guidance and training for professionals who want to leapfrog into the green economy and direct their skills to combat climate change.

There’s a pressing need for engineers and technologists in both new green technologies and also to clean up traditional dirty industries. “We don’t yet have a coherent strategy for skills for net...