Marvin OnumonuGrangemouth workers have started retraining as part of the ‘training guarantee’ set out by the UK and Scottish Governments.
After Petroineos confirmed the closure of the refinery, up to £10m was put forward to help workers gain new skills for clean energy jobs and other sectors.
So far, 184 out of 300 workers have taken up retraining, with most of the rest signed up to start.
Courses on offer include renewable energy upskilling and wind turbine engineering, paid for by Government funding.
The aim is to help workers move into new jobs, especially in the clean energy sector, which supports over 42,000 jobs in Scotland.
All affected workers have been offered one-to-one interviews with careers advisers at Forth Valley College to work out what training they need and set up tailored courses.
This is part of a wider move to support workers into new roles as the Government’s Plan for Change continues.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy Gillian Martin and Energy Minister Michael Shanks joined other partners for the first Grangemouth investment taskforce meeting to discuss private investment in the site.
There have been 66 enquiries so far.
Shanks said: “The workforce at Grangemouth is highly skilled with significant transferable experience which our training commitment recognises by providing tailored support for workers into new employment opportunities.
“As well as continuing to work to secure the site’s long-term industrial future, we want to ensure no worker is left behind and that they are equipped with the skills they need to secure good jobs. This is our Plan for Change in action.”
Martin said: “The Scottish Government’s immediate focus has rightly been on supporting workers who have lost their jobs.
“We committed up to £450,000 to ensure that they are supported and assisted to secure other employment and to contribute their valuable skills to Scotland’s green economy.
“That is why we are also working to secure Grangemouth’s role in that future and create an investible industrial strategy for the site. It’s clear that real progress is being made on the findings from Project Willow.”
Martin added: “We are working closely with Scottish Enterprise – who are already assessing nearly 70 inquiries aligned to the full range of technologies set out in the report – and we are determined to ensure we realise the full potential for the site’s transformation.”
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said: “We know this is a worrying time for workers and their families at Grangemouth.
“I am pleased more than 260 highly skilled workers have already received support from Forth Valley College thanks to funding from the UK government as part of the £100 million Falkirk and Grangemouth Growth Deal package.
“By offering bespoke training in renewable energy and wind turbine engineering, we’re not just supporting individual workers but also helping Scotland lead the way in clean energy jobs.”
Murray added: “We are determined that Grangemouth will have a green energy future and have committed £200 million through the National Wealth Fund toward that.”
Kenny MacInnes, principal at Forth Valley College, said: “The College continues to work extremely hard to make sure that all the Petroineos employees affected by the refinery closure, are able to access the support they need as they begin their transition into new training, careers and jobs.
“We are making learning work in our Forth Valley communities and beyond, and we want to assure everyone that we will continue to be there for them as they take the next steps in their careers and their studies.”
Steven Bell, former hazardous areas technician at Petroineos Grangemouth refinery, said: “The support I received from Forth Valley College with retraining during the redundancy process has been exceptional.
“From my 1:1 meetings discussing courses that I would be interested in and what my future career path might be, right through to getting booked onto the courses I had selected, nothing was too much trouble.
“All in all, I can say I am absolutely delighted with what Forth Valley College have provided for me during this process.”
