The GX Skill Standard: Japan’s attempt at defining sustainability skills

With sustainability becoming a critical focus for businesses worldwide, Japan is stepping up to address the demand for green transformation (GX) skills. The GX Skill Standard, introduced in May 2024 by a dedicated working group of the GX League, aims to bridge the skills gap by defining essential knowledge and specialized roles in the field.

1. The Background behind the GX Skill Standard
2. The GX Skill Standard in detail
3. Introduction of similar initiatives in the EU and the US
4. Conclusion

The GX Skill Standard in detail

Inspired by the already existing “Digital Skill Standard” for IT skills, and following 4 meetings of the working group between November 2023 and February 2024, the first version of the GX Skill Standard has been released in May 2024. It consists of two components:

1. GX Literacy Standard (GXSS)

Knowledge required of all people involved in GX. The target is not only management, but also employees involved in sales, R&D, planning, as well as consumers. By standardizing the required knowledge, all people can have a common understanding of what “GX” is. The working group defines knowledge as the first step that organizations need to undertake in their green transformation to make organizational change more effective.
The working group has defined 4 areas of learning, divided in smaller components with recommended concepts.

Category name	Why (the context behind GX)	What (What should be done)	How (How should it be done)	Mind / Stance
Components	– Changes in the natural environment – Changes in the international community – Changes in the business environment	– Identification of climate-related risks and opportunities – Calculatation of supply chain emissions – Establishing emission reduction targets and plans – Implementing reduction measures – Climate change-related information disclosure – Business model transformation	– How to promote energy efficiency – Methods of procuring renewable energy – Fuel and raw material conversion, new materials – Adoption of NETs – Emissions trading/credits – Sustainable finance – National and local government policies – Examples of initiatives	– Backcasting – The challenge of change – Collaboration – Engagement – Multi-faceted thinking – Continuous learning

2. GX Promotion Skills Standard (GXSS-P)

Specialized knowledge required to promote GX. By standardising these skills, it is envisioned that it will be possible to increase reskilling and career change options for individuals, as well as developing enough human resources to answer the growing demand from companies. GXSS-P defines 4 types of human resources to promote GX:

• GX Analysts: personnel responsible for the process of calculation and analysis. They can set objectives, design policies and carry out analysis.
• GX Strategists: personnel responsible for the process of analysis and planning. They can analyze situational information and develop plans based on both environmental and economic indicators.
• GX Inventors: personnel responsible for the process of development. They can develop business and technologies based on both environmental and economic indicators.
• GX Communicators: personnel responsible for the process of promotion. Through dialogue and negotiation with stakeholders, they can promote the realization of their company’s plans.

So far only the GX Analyst and GX Strategist profiles have been defined, with the GX Inventor and Communicator to be defined in subsequent versions of the GX Promotion Skills Standard.

It is to note that each profile is divided into 4 levels of expertise. Here is the general scale for each level, along with the example of the GX Analyst:

	General	GX Analyst
Level 4	Leads the identification, establishment, resolution and implementation of their own GX promotion issues independently as a professional	Sets objectives for their own GHG calculations, sources the necessary resources and leads the calculations
Level 3	Able to lead tasks that are limited in scope (e.g. work area, department, etc.) in GX promotion. Possesses the necessary applied knowledge and skills to become a professional.	Can lead tasks that are limited inscope (example: Can lead Scope 1,2 calculations)
Level 2	Under the supervision of a Level 3 or 4 employee, takes charge of relevant tasks as required. Possesses the basic knowledge and skills required to become a professional.	Under the supervision of a Level 3 or 4 employee, takes charge of relevant tasks as required. (example: calculating Scope 1,2,3 emissions based on secondary data)
Level 1	Understands the importance of GX and has basic knowledge (GX Literacy Standards level)	Understands the importance of GX and has basic knowledge (GX Literacy Standards level)

As the GX Skills Standard are recent, there are not yet any certification schemes in place to officially certify employees have a certain level of knowledge. However, some synergies can be made with the “Advisor for Decarbonization” (Japanese only) certification scheme launched by the Ministry of Environment in 2023, which combines some aspects of the GX Analyst and Strategist profiles.

Introduction of similar initatives in the EU and the US

• The EU Green Deal and Pact for Skills

The EU Green Deal Policy is a comprehensive policy package aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union (EU) to virtually zero by 2050. Several policies and declarations are encompassed within this package, including the Climate Pact, which contains a number of requirements for the development of GX human resources. Specifically, it targets the creation of GX jobs, support for reskilling, and helps citizens acquire GX skills through Pact for Skills, a European reskilling platform. Pact for Skills was launched in November 2020 and allows users to register on its website to access a networking platform and a range of skill-related webinars, etc. It is not limited to GX skills, but offers a wide variety of reskilling opportunities. Like the GX Skills Standard, it aims to eliminate the skills mismatch in the labour market, ultimately leading to more efficient skills development across the industry.

• The American Climate Corps and Career Skills Training Program

In the US, although there is no comprehensive program like the EU Pact for Skills, there are several initiatives that support GX skill development. The American Climate Corps, operated by the White House and federal agencies, is an initiative launched in September 2023 towards young Americans. They can apply to fixed-term opportunities and receive support from the government (salary, insurance, housing), all while becoming experts on climate change issues through on-the-job experience, leading them to finding high-quality and good paying clean energy and climate resilience jobs. The program aims at mobilizing more than 20,000 people.
The Career Skills Training Programme was developed by the US Department of Energy (DOE) to promote the spread of clean energy and increase energy efficiency, with an initial call for applications in September 2023 and an investment of USD 10 million to provide lectures on energy efficiency and provide on-the-job training. As well as providing learning opportunities, the project also provides support on obtaining certificates common to the clean energy industry. The programme is very unique in that it encourages learning not only through lectures but also through hands-on experience, and in that it is promoted in a way that also involves non-profit organisations.

Looking at these initatives, we can see that, although the sustainability skills to be acquired by employees are not clearly defined, the US and Europe have systems in place where employees can independently develop their skills and even receive money to do so. Japan does not yet provide monetary support to companies or individuals to acquire GX skills. It seems like a natural next step to further incite the creation of GX human resources.

Conclusion

The introduction of the GX Skill Standards in Japan marks a significant step towards addressing the growing demand for sustainability-related skills in the job market. By establishing clear definitions and standards for GX literacy and promotion skills, the GX Human Resource Market Creation Working Group aims to create a stable and efficient market for sustainability professionals.
The first version of the GX Skill Standard has been released this year, but many elements have still to be developed. In the future version of the document, the working group aims to define the remaining GX Inventor and GX Communicator profile, as well as defining a professional level of literacy standards.

More information

• GX Skill Standards (Japanese)
• GX Skill Standards – Overview and Usage Guide (Japanese)
• EU Pact for Skills
• American Climate Corps
• Career Skills Training Program – Office of State and Community Energy Programs