Clean energy initiatives are set to bring 400,000 extra jobs across Britain by 2030, with 45,000 direct jobs being provided in South East England.
- Government publishes first ever national plan to recruit workers needed for clean energy mission, with over 400,000 extra jobs by 2030
- 31 priority occupations such as plumbers, electricians and welders are particularly in demand
- 5 new clean energy Technical Excellence Colleges to train next generation of workers, as part of government’s drive for two-thirds of young people to be in higher-level learning
- Energy Secretary to set out measures ensuring companies receiving public grants and contracts need to deliver good jobs across the clean energy sector
- A generation of young people across Britain will benefit from the good jobs and high wages that the booming clean energy economy can bring, under new plans announced by the government today as part of the clean energy superpower mission
Backed by record government and private sector investment in clean energy such as renewables and nuclear, the clean energy economy is sparking a boom in demand for good industrial jobs in all regions and nations of the UK – with 31 priority occupations such as plumbers, electricians, and welders particularly in demand.
For the first time, on 19 October this Government published a comprehensive national plan to train up the next generation of clean energy workers, with employment expected to double to 860,000 by 2030, ensuring jobs are high quality and well paid.
Setting clear workforce estimates for the first time will galvanise industry, the public sector, and education providers to work together to deliver one cohesive strategy to invest in training for specific in demand occupations.
The Energy Secretary has also set out how this government sees trade unions as an essential part of the modern workplace and economy. Across the broader energy sector, trade union coverage has declined from over 70% in the mid 90’s to around 30% today. Recognising trade unions is vital to securing high pay and good conditions for workers.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband 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.”
Commenting, Stephen Morgan MP for Portsmouth South, said:
“By supporting workers through the switch towards clean energy, providing them with the skills needed, industry and workers will benefit simultaneously whilst driving national growth.
“As part of the Plan for Change, this new jobs plan will enable tangible opportunities and ensure universal access to the training and support required to secure the well-paid jobs powering our country’s future”
“Since coming into office, this Government has already delivered for the UK through the clean energy mission, having brought about over £50 Billion in private investment from last July as a result of the certainty and stability it has provided.”
“I am proud of the many strides made so far in delivering our manifesto commitments on both employment and clean energy and welcome the job opportunities which will now be made available to Portsmouth people.”
The government has also given Sizewell C the green light, which will support 10,000 jobs at peak construction, announced Rolls Royce as the preferred bidder for the small modular reactor programme to support up to 3,000 jobs, and kickstarted the Acorn and the Viking projects in Scotland and the North East that is estimated to support a combined 35,000 jobs, including 1,000 apprenticeships. This builds on the 4,000 jobs already set to be created in CCUS projects in the North West and Teesside.
For young people, these jobs can offer higher levels of pay- with entry level roles in the majority of occupations in clean energy paying 23% more than the same occupations in other sectors.
Jobs in wind, nuclear, and electricity networks all advertise average salaries of over £50,000, compared to the UK average of £37,000, and are spread across coastal and post-industrial communities.
New initiatives include:
- Training up the next generation of clean energy workers – 5 new Technical Excellence Colleges will help train young people into essential roles. Skills pilots in Cheshire, Lincolnshire and Pembrokeshire 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 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 alone, 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
The plan also includes landmark proposals to ensure that jobs in the clean energy sector have world class pay, terms and conditions.
- 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 Great British Energy
It comes after the Prime Minister announced a package of reforms to elevate and transform the education skills system, with a new target for two-thirds of young people to participate in higher-level learning – academic, technical or apprenticeships – by age 25, up from 50% today.
With at least 1 in 6 ex-military already armed with many of the skills needed for the clean energy sector, the 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 60,000 people expected to be employed in the sector by the end of the decade.
