Volunteers needed for climate ambassador scheme

Education secretary Gillian Keegan has called for 1,000 volunteers to sign up to help schools create their climate action plans. 

She announced at the Education World Forum 2024 that the climate ambassador scheme provides schools with a local expert to turn their climate and sustainability “ambitions into action.”

This is an expansion of the UK Research and Innovation agency's scheme which first launched in 2022 in partnership with the University of Reading and STEM Learning. 

Backed by £2 million, the scheme aims to work 2,500 settings in the next two years.

Keegan said: "Regional climate ambassadors currently help schools and colleges draw-up climate action plans and improve their sustainability. Over the next two years we will recruit over 1000 volunteers as climate ambassadors, to support over 2,500 education settings.   

"Our national education nature park scheme allows each school site to see themselves as a contributing part of the biodiversity and climate resilience of the country’s collective education campus.  

"Like countries participating in international climate discussions, we want schools to see themselves as part of a broader whole. These networks are designed to get them sharing ideas and trading creative solutions."

The volunteers should have skills and knowledge related to decarbonisation, adaptation and resilience, nature and biodiversity and climate education and green skills. Training and development is provided. 

They will be matched with schools based on their interests, expertise and background. They can help with various tasks, including creating the climate action plan, identifying ways to decarbonise operations and increasing biodiversity.