Symposium overview
The upcoming Green Skills symposium, Accelerating the green transition through skills and innovation, will take place from 11 to 13 February 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya. The event is brought to you by the Royal Academy of Engineering in partnership with the United National Environmental Programme (UNEP), the Alliance for Greening Skills and Opportunities (AGSO) and Jacob’s Ladder Africa and is funded by the UK Government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
The event will convene policymakers, innovators, practitioners, industry and civil society players from across sectors globally to explore innovative, context-appropriate, and sustainable strategies to strengthen a green transition, with a particular focus on innovation, transformation of the informal economy and required skills. Using Kenya as a case study, we will broaden the discussion to include global perspectives.
The event will offer a unique opportunity for delegates cross sector to connect and network with experts from around the world, and to explore cross-cutting issues through three sub-themes:
- Advancing the green transition through innovation and business models - explores innovation and business models across different sectors such as green energy and construction. Discussions will focus on sectoral innovation, sustainable scaling and context-specific models.
- Strengthening certification pathways for decent jobs in the informal economy - focuses on the process of assessing, certifying, and identifying the skills and knowledge acquired regardless of how, when, or where they were obtained, to improve access to decent work in the informal economy through the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) framework. We will explore current challenges, including the lack of formal recognition and the mismatch of skills in the informal sector, and look ahead to ways to scale recognition systems in sectors such as green energy and construction. Strengthening partnerships and engaging informal worker representatives will be essential to institutionalising certification and ensuring it reflects real experiences and needs.
- Participatory approaches to bridging the skills gap - investigates how specific sectors and partnerships (like AGSO) can bridge skills ecosystems to ensure that the skills needed for the green transition are in step with real market demand. It will allow participants to explore innovation and business models, and community/stakeholder engagement that generate inclusive and relevant solutions. The session will be more oriented around practical interventions, using case studies where clear gaps exist and using the time to identify solutions.
Symposium format
- Event structure: at the core of the event there will be three cross-cutting, challenge-led sessions that bridge different sectors and expertise.
- Participants arrive on the evening of 10 February, with a welcome dinner and evening of networking to start the event.
- Participants will be from all disciplines (i.e. not just for engineers) and sectors, and from all around the world.
- Event cost: There is no cost to participants for attending the event. We welcome a diverse group of participants and offer to cover your travel, accommodation and subsistence costs during the event. We actively encourage candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds. If there is anything we can do to support your applications or participation related to any access requirement, please let us know. Please note we do not cover usual salary costs.
Post-event funding
Seed funding grants worth £20,000 over one year will be awarded to successful collaborations developed via the symposium.
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Why a green skills symposium?
The Green Skills Symposium addresses the urgent need for skills and systems to enable a just and effective green transition in Kenya, sub-Saharan Africa and across the globe. It aligns with Kenya’s National Strategy on Green Skills and Jobs (2025–2030), which seeks to integrate education, employment, and innovation with climate and development goals.
Key challenges include:
- Mismatch between green skills supply and demand in sectors like solar energy, climate-smart agriculture, and waste management.
- Fragmented efforts across government and private sector.
- Limited recognition of informal sector skills.
- Low public awareness and weak integration of green principles in governance and education.
The AGSO National Green Skills Gap Baseline Survey provides evidence on training, certification, and market gaps, emphasizing participatory approaches involving communities, employers, and policymakers.
The symposium serves as both a consultative platform for the survey and a launchpad for global dialogue, convening stakeholders to co-design solutions, share innovations, and build partnerships to accelerate the green transition in Kenya and beyond.
Partners
The event is brought to you by the Royal Academy of Engineering in partnership with the United National Environmental Programme (UNEP), the Alliance for Greening Skills and Opportunities (AGSO) and Jacob’s Ladder Africa and is funded by the UK Government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
