Wendy Edie, Managing Director of the digital learning and assessment specialist, eCom Scotland, believes that producing an agile workforce committed to quality-assessed lifelong learning is the best way for businesses to thrive as climate change forces the adoption of net zero-aligned technologies and business practices.

Speaking ahead of COP26 – the conference on global climate change – being held in Glasgow, Wendy pledged her company’s willingness to provide the people skills that employers need for their organisations to be increasingly productive and resilient in this new age.

eCom which, with is sister company in the USA, works with clients around the world – generating over 60% of its annual income from outside Scotland – is committed to minimising its carbon footprint and supporting those working to improve global environmental sustainability.

“Through our innovative learning solutions, we support the United Nations (UN)’s Sustainable Development Goals – in particular Goal 4, on quality education, and Goal 8, on decent work and economic growth in our work with clients around the world,” explained Wendy.

“Environmental policy is very much at the forefront of our work,” she continued. “Many of our customers are governmental departments, including the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) – Scotland’s principal environmental regulator, protecting and improving Scotland’s environment. As part of SEPA’s supply chain, we’re required to share our policies and ensure we meet these at all times.

“Moreover, as a Microsoft Azure partner, we ensure our code and hosting uses the least amount of electricity possible, while still ensuring reliability. Our Scottish headquarters uses fully renewable power and we aim to minimise our water usage in our buildings and vehicles. We’re also committed to using recycled or upcycled goods as well as environmentally safe cleaning products.”

Apart from making its operations as carbon neutral as possible, eCom recognises that, to meet net zero targets, the economy needs both a skills system and a labour market that are more agile, proactive, responsive and resilient than ever before. Wendy explained, “We’re focusing on helping learners embrace the coming changes to industry, job roles and society by, among other things, embedding life-long learning, problem solving capabilities, adaptability and resilience.”

These skills can be grouped into the three broad categories of:

• self-management – focusing, integrity, adapting, initiative,
• social intelligence – communicating, feeling, collaborating, leading, and
• innovation – curiosity, creativity, sense-making, critical thinking.

“We believe that focusing on developing people skills in this way will help produce an agile workforce committed to quality-assessed lifelong learning which will be increasingly productive and resilient,” said Wendy.

Wendy Edie’s full comments on using digital learning and assessment to help generate the people skills needed to ensure success in a carbon-neutral future business environment are available in a blog post on the eCom website, entitled, ‘Building-blocks for a productive workforce in a net carbon zero age’: https://www.ecomscotland.com/news/building-blocks-for-a-productive-workforce-in-a-net-carbon-zero-age/

COP26 – hosted by the UK in partnership with Italy, in Glasgow, Scotland, from October 31 to November 12, 2021, aims to get agreement on four issues:

• Secure global net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and keep within reach a global rise in average temperature of 1.5 degrees Celsius.
• Adapt to protect communities and natural habitats.
• Mobilise finance of at least $100bn in climate finance per year from developed countries and engaging international financial institutions, along with the private and public sectors, to make trillions of dollars available to secure global net zero.
• Work together to achieve these targets.

eCom (https://www.ecomscotland.com/contact/) creates innovative learning solutions – aimed at increasing learning engagement and driving productivity – to help organisations achieve their goals. With offices in Dunfermline, Scotland, and Athens, Georgia, in the USA, but with customers from around the world, eCom focuses on the delivery, tracking and reporting of workforce learning and development through innovative technologies. Its products and services address a range of workforce management, development and training challenges, including eLearning, online assessment, blended learning, competency management and accreditation.