Scotland’s First Minister has announced a £100m (€110m) Green Jobs Fund and a £25m National Transition Training Fund to support Scotland’s transition to net zero.
The funds were announced today as part of Nicola Sturgeon’s Programme for Government.
In Protecting Scotland, Renewing Scotland: The Government’s Programme for Scotland 2020-2021, Sturgeon stated: “Putting a green recovery at the forefront of our approach offers many businesses the chance to innovate and diversify, and it gives individuals the opportunity to retrain and upskill in new and high-growth areas.
“As part of our commitment we will dedicate £100m over the next five years to a Green Jobs Fund, investing alongside businesses and organisations to support new and increased opportunities for green job creation across Scotland.”
The programme will also support Scottish businesses in efforts to decarbonise, thereby developing new employment opportunities and driving down emissions.
Sturgeon added: “We will immediately put a clear new focus on our updated Climate Change Plan, ensuring it reflects our new starting point and the central importance of a green recovery to Scotland’s progress, and the Infrastructure Investment plan will reflect our commitment to tackling climate change.
“We will ensure our rural economy and Scotland’s rich natural resources and biodiversity are central to our economic, environmental, and social wellbeing.”
In response to the announcement Scottish Renewables chief executive Claire Mack said: “The First Minister’s declaration of a £100m Green Jobs Fund and a £25m National Transition Training Fund are significant steps forward not just for our industry – which will require a large number of skilled employees as we work towards our net-zero target – but also for all those people whose careers are not compatible with that target.”
Mack said the trade association has worked hard with politicians from all parties over the past four months to make the case that renewable energy should be at the “very heart” of a green recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
Mack said: “We are pleased that our suggestion of funding to refocus careers and businesses on the provision of green skills to support Scotland’s transition to net-zero has found a place in this Programme for Government, and look forward to working with the Scottish Government as it further develops its plans in the coming months.
“In particular, in it important that Scotland’s skills and enterprise agencies and skills providers work in tandem with industry to ensure that skills which are delivered are those which are required.
“We are also keen that the development of a Renewable Energy Centre of Excellence takes place in Scotland to provide a physical base for the reshaping of our economy in the decades leading to the 2045 net zero target.”