The UK government today announced plans to help workers access thousands of jobs as part of its clean power mission.
Aberdeen, Cheshire, Lincolnshire and Pembrokeshire have all been identified as key growth regions for clean energy, with thriving offshore wind, nuclear, and solar industries.
Local partners will receive funding to identify the skills support that is needed in their area – such as training centres and courses – to deliver clean power by 2030.
Alongside this, the UK government has today launched a “skills passport” to help oil and gas workers access job opportunities in the clean energy sector.
The UK has joined forces with industry and the Scottish government for the skills passport, which will help workers find routes into offshore wind jobs in areas such as construction and maintenance.
Workers will be able to create an account to access the four career pathways currently available, helping them identify where their existing qualifications are recognised.
Led by RenewableUK and Offshore Energies UK, and supported by the UK and funding from Scottish Government, the skills passport tool will be expanded over the coming year to recognise other pathways from oil and gas into the renewable sector.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “Our Plan for Change to deliver clean power is not just about protecting households and businesses from the rollercoaster of fossil fuel markets, it is also about reindustrialising Britain with thousands of well-paid, good union jobs in industrial communities.
“Unlike the failed approach of previous governments, we won’t sit back and let good jobs go overseas instead of coming to our shores.
“We are working with communities, businesses, and trade unions to train workers here in Britain, so we can seize the opportunities that clean power brings.”
Research from Offshore Energies UK shows that 90% of oil and gas workers already have skills that are relevant to the clean energy transition.
The key growth areas identified by the government will be considered for further funding for targeted measures such as new training centres and courses to upskill workers.
Funding will initially go to Cheshire West and Chester, north and northeast Lincolnshire and Pembrokeshire, as significant work identifying skills has already been done for Aberdeen.
Around £1m will be available for each area, with local and devolved partners empowered to develop their own plans for how best to target the funding.
RenewableUK’s executive director of offshore wind Jane Cooper said: “More than a hundred thousand people will be working in the UK’s offshore wind industry by 2030, mostly in highly skilled roles.
“To grow our world-class industry as fast as possible, we need the valuable experience that oil and gas workers can bring.
“The Energy Skills Passport which we’re launching today with our OEUK colleagues offers a gateway for people to make this transition by helping them to identify which offshore wind roles which would suit them best, and setting out in detail the training they will need to secure these new job opportunities.
“It’s a practical tool which demonstrates our determination to bring the tangible benefits of the energy transition to workers right across the energy sector.”