Climate Skills: turning youth potential into climate action

Climate action doesn’t start with megaprojects—it often starts with a young person who’s been given the skills and the chance to lead. That’s the idea behind Climate Skills – Seeds for Transition, a collaboration between HSBC Indonesia and the British Council that equips marginalised youth with core workplace skills and practical green know-how, then supports them to turn learning into real community solutions.

The programme was piloted in West Java in 2024, and the above approach translated into tangible impact: 30 youth facilitators and 157 young people trained across eight locations, followed by three youth-led Climate Action Projects reaching 2,157 beneficiaries including 1,136 women. From solar-powered cold storage and drip irrigation helping farmers cut water use by 40%, to solar aquaponics reusing around 750 litres per day of ablution wastewater, and also a reverse vending machine initiative that collected and recycled 900 plastic bottles—these projects show what happens when skills meet trust and local insight.

Stuart Rogers, CEO HSBC Indonesia attended the recent programme showcase event in Bandung and highlighted that a just transition depends on building green skills and pathways to green jobs. So more young people can help shape a greener economy, not just watch it happen.

Now the programme is scaling to East Java that is taking place from May to Nov 2026, aiming to train 500 young people across Malang, Batu City, Gresik, and Surabaya, alongside local partners LPKP Jawa Timur (Institute for Social Studies and Development of East Java) and PUPUK (Association for the Advancement of Small Businesses). Look out for more stories!