The long-awaited UK offshore wind sector deal to be launched by energy department BEIS on Thursday will set out a suite of measures to triple the number of highly-skilled jobs to 27,000 by 2030.
The plans will include an ‘Offshore Energy Passport’, recognised outside of the UK, designed for offshore wind workers to transfer their skills and expertise to other offshore renewable and oil and gas industries.
The offshore industry will also pledge to enhance work with further education institutions to develop a sector-wide curriculum to deliver a more skilled workforce and facilitate greater skills transfer.
The sector will also set targets for increasing the number of apprentices in the industry. The targets are due to be announced in November.
The actions to be undertaken by the offshore wind industry are designed to boost the UK jobs count from 7,200 today.
Energy Minister Claire Perry said: “This deal could support a tripling of jobs over the next few decades and it is exciting to see that the industry is encouraging my children’s generation – the UK’s workforce of the future – to propel themselves into the industry, giving them the skills they need to thrive in the sector.”
The sector deal aims to deliver at least a third of the country’s electricity from offshore wind by 2030, equivalent to 30GW of installed capacity.
The industry will also set out plans to boost the number of women in the UK offshore sector, which stands at 16% of the total workforce, to at least 33% by 2030, with the ambition of reaching 40%.
“Working with the offshore wind industry, I want to ensure that women and young people benefit from this sea-change,” added Perry.
The offshore wind plans will be the tenth sector deal signed by UK Business Secretary Greg Clark.