A “clean energy jobs boom” could create “a new generation of good industrial jobs” in Wales, the UK Government says.
It has published a national plan to train the next generation of clean energy workers, with employment expected to double to 860,000 by 2030.
It says Wales will benefit from up to 20,000 clean energy jobs by 2030. Key skills needed in the region include trades such as electricians, bricklayers and plumbers as well as engineers and metal workers, with the largest clean energy employer expected to be in carbon capture as well as offshore wind, the UK Government said.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has also set out the role the UK Government wants to see trade unions play in clean energy. Across the broader energy sector, trade union coverage has declined from more than 70% in the mid 1990s to around 30% today.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said:
“Wales is essential to the clean energy revolution that this government is delivering. Communities across Wales 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.”
In January it was announced that Pembrokeshire had been identified as a ‘key growth region for clean energy’ and was set to receive around £1 million in skills funding.
The skills regional funding comes from the UK Government’s Office for Clean Energy Skills Fund and will be awarded for skills mapping to the Welsh Government. It will be responsible for developing a plan for how best to target the money.
The UK Government said funding could go towards new training centres, courses or career advisers, supporting people into opportunities in industries such as welding, electrical engineering, and construction.
Welsh Government Minister for Skills, Jack Sargeant, said:
“Our ambition is to ensure today’s young people will have the skills needed to work the jobs of tomorrow, helping us embed the industries and services of the future in our communities.
“With decades of industrial expertise Wales is primed to capitalise on the generational opportunity that is the UK’s clean energy revolution. The plan announced today will complement our Net Zero Skills Action Plan and support our journey to a cleaner, more prosperous Wales.”
The UK Government said new skills initiatives include:
Training up the next generation of clean energy workers – Five new Technical Excellence Colleges will help train young people into essential roles. Skills pilots in Pembrokeshire, Cheshire and Lincolnshire will be backed by a total of £2.5 million – which could go towards new training centres, courses or career advisers.
Harnessing the valuable expertise and transferrable skills of veterans – Working with Mission Renewable, the UK Government is launching a new programme to match veterans up with careers in solar panel installation, wind turbine factories, and nuclear power stations.
Tailored schemes for ex-offenders, school leavers, and the unemployed – Last year, 13,700 people who were out of work possessed many of the skills required for key roles in the clean energy sector, such as engineering and skilled trades.
Upskill existing workers – Oil and gas workers will benefit from up to £20 million in total from the UK and Scottish Governments to provide bespoke careers training for thousands of new roles in clean energy. This follows high demand for the Aberdeen skills pilot, which is already supporting workers into new careers. Government is also extending the ‘energy skills passport’, which identifies routes for oil and gas workers to easily transition into roles in offshore wind, to new sectors including nuclear and the electricity grid.
Russell Greenslade, Director of CBI Wales, said:
“The growth of Wales’ clean energy economy is opening up real opportunities for people and communities right across the nation. The launch of the Clean Energy Jobs Plan provides a practical, forward-looking framework to connect local talent with both the opportunities emerging in this fast-developing sector and with the businesses driving delivery on the ground.
“Wales is already showing how workers, particularly those from traditional industries, can successfully transition into clean energy roles, drawing on our established strengths and deep industrial heritage. If we want people to feel genuinely invested in this transition and empowered to play their part, we must clearly show them where they fit in and how their skills and experience can contribute to Wales’ cleaner, stronger economic future.”
Zac Richardson, Group Chief Engineer at National Grid, said:
“Secure, affordable and clean energy is essential to unlocking UK economic growth and productivity – ambitions which are underpinned by electricity networks and the unprecedented levels of planned investment in them.
“We welcome the UK Government’s focus on skills and training – especially for technical roles vital to our energy future – and look forward to working together to build a diverse, homegrown workforce that can deliver the grid of tomorrow.”
The plan also includes proposals such as:
Closing loopholes in legislation to extend employment protections enjoyed by offshore oil and gas workers working beyond UK territorial seas, including the national minimum wage, to the clean energy sector.
A new Fair Work Charter between offshore wind developers and trade unions to ensure that companies benefiting from public funding provide decent wages and strong workplace rights.
Workforce criteria in grants and procurements to test and pilot innovative ways to drive fair work and skills in DESNZ grants and contracts, including through the Clean Industry Bonus and the newly formed Great British Energy.
With at least one in six ex-military already armed with many of the skills needed for the clean energy sector, the UK Government is joining forces with Mission Renewable to match them up with careers in solar panel installation, wind turbine factories, and nuclear power stations. The pilot will initially focus on the East of England, which will benefit from the biggest increase in the size of the clean energy workforce with over 55,000 people expected to be employed in the sector by the end of the decade.