The government has launched the UK’s first national plan to train and recruit workers for the clean energy transition, projecting the creation of more than 400,000 additional jobs by 2030.
The Clean Energy Jobs Plan sets out a coordinated strategy to meet surging demand for skilled workers in renewables, nuclear and low-carbon industries, with total employment in the sector forecast to double to 860,000 by the end of the decade.
Energy secretary Ed Miliband (pictured) said: “Communities have long been calling out for a new generation of good industrial jobs. The clean energy jobs boom can answer that call – and today we publish a landmark national plan to make it happen.
“Our plans will help create an economy in which there is no need to leave your hometown just to find a decent job. Thanks to this government’s commitment to clean energy, a generation of young people in our industrial heartlands can have well-paid secure jobs, from plumbers to electricians and welders.
“This is a pro-worker, pro-jobs, pro-union agenda that will deliver the national renewal our country needs.”
The plan identifies 31 priority occupations – including welders, electricians, and plumbers – and outlines measures to boost training, apprenticeships and career pathways into clean energy.
Five new Technical Excellence Colleges will train future workers in essential trades, while a new Mission Renewable partnership will link veterans to careers in solar, wind and nuclear.
Funding pilots worth £2.5m in Cheshire, Lincolnshire and Pembrokeshire will test regional skills models, and £20m will be made available to retrain oil and gas workers for new roles in offshore wind, nuclear and electricity grid infrastructure.
The plan also proposes extending offshore employment protections, introducing a Fair Work Charter between developers and trade unions, and piloting workforce criteria in public contracts to ensure good pay and conditions across the sector.
ScottishPower chief executive Keith Anderson said: “Thanks to the clear direction set out by the government’s Clean Power 2030 Mission, we’re investing at record levels in the clean electricity infrastructure the UK needs for energy security and economic growth.
“Our £24 billion investment plan is creating thousands of job opportunities. We’re recruiting for good, well-paid skilled jobs at record levels. We’re welcoming 300 new recruits in the last three months of 2025 alone and aim to bring on another 2,000 jobs up to 2027.
“Many of these jobs are in the communities that we serve in Scotland, England and Wales. This is on top of the benefits for local supply chain businesses across the country from our commitment to domestic procurement that currently supports 70,000 jobs in the UK supply chain.”
EDF power solutions UK chief executive Matthieu Hue said: “We welcome the plan which brings clarity on the scale of the opportunity for people across the UK to work in high quality jobs which will contribute to our electric future.
“EDF power solutions has 2GW of wind, solar and battery in operation and our goal is to have five times that amount by 2035, so we will need many more skilled people to help us reach our ambition.
“Our partnership with four trade unions, GMB, Prospect, Unison and Unite shows our commitment to working together with them to grow our business.”
Siemens Energy UK&I vice president Darren Davidson said: “Siemens Energy is a major employer in the UK with 6,500 workers at sites across the UK. We have taken on 140 new apprentices this autumn, and we currently have more than 200 active vacancies.
“The jobs plan announcement is welcome news, building on the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan that was launched at our Hull offshore wind blade factory.”
RenewableUK deputy chief executive Jane Cooper said: “The Clean Energy Jobs Plan sets out the scale of the massive opportunity which the UK has to create tens of thousands of new jobs in renewables all over the country.
“It includes practical measures which will enable government and industry to work even closer together to maximise this, such as opening new Technical Excellence Colleges, building on Britain’s current success as a global leader in clean power.
“This long-awaited plan delivers on employers’ calls for a coherent government workforce strategy for clean energy and we look forward to working with ministers to realise its ambitions.”
Scottish Renewables chief executive Claire Mack said: “The clean power mission is not just about energy security for the country, it’s about good jobs and a workforce fit for the future in your locale. The scale and importance of the energy transition requires new approaches to ensure investments in skills, apprenticeships and training serve the needs of the entire economy.
“Scotland is home to world-class energy skills expertise. Working with both governments, the clean energy industry can build on this through the breadth of projects coming forward today and in the years ahead. The Clean Energy Jobs Plan is an important signal to the public and private sectors of how we must quickly strengthen our partnership on jobs and skills.”
The government said the clean energy mission has already unlocked over £50bn of private investment since last July and will support tens of thousands of roles through projects including Sizewell C, Rolls-Royce small modular reactors, and the Acorn and Viking carbon capture schemes in Scotland and the North East.
Entry-level positions in most clean energy occupations are projected to pay 23% more than comparable roles in other sectors, with average salaries across wind, nuclear and electricity networks exceeding £50,000 – well above the national average of £37,000.