Marvin OnumonuThe Government set out plans to create 400,000 extra clean energy jobs by 2030, with high demand for plumbers, electricians and welders.
The first national plan to recruit and train clean energy workers was published yesterday, 19th October, aiming to double employment in the sector to 860,000 and ensure jobs are well paid and high quality.
Five technical excellence colleges were announced to train the next generation, with a focus on 31 priority occupations.
Companies receiving public grants or contracts will be expected to deliver good jobs across the clean energy sector.
Over £50bn in private investment has already backed the government’s clean energy mission since last July.
Sizewell C is set to support 10,000 jobs at peak construction, while Rolls Royce was chosen as preferred bidder for the small modular reactor programme, supporting up to 3,000 jobs.
Major projects in Scotland and the North East are estimated to support 35,000 jobs, including 1,000 apprenticeships.
CCUS projects in the North West and Teesside are set to create 4,000 jobs.
Technical excellence colleges and skills pilots in Cheshire, Lincolnshire and Pembrokeshire will be backed by £2.5m for new training centres, courses and careers advisers.
The Government is working with Mission Renewable to match veterans with jobs in solar, wind and nuclear industries.
Tailored schemes will help ex-offenders, school leavers and unemployed people, with 13,700 people last year already holding the skills needed for key roles.
Oil and gas workers will have access to £20m in training to help them move into clean energy jobs, and the energy skills passport will be extended to new sectors.
The plan also closes loopholes to extend employment protections for offshore workers, including the national minimum wage, to the clean energy sector.
A new Fair Work Charter has been agreed between offshore wind developers and trade unions to guarantee decent wages and strong workplace rights.
Workforce criteria will be tested in DESNZ grants and contracts, including the clean industry bonus and Great British Energy.
A new target has been set for two-thirds of young people to take part in higher-level learning by age 25.
The pilot for veterans will focus on the East of England, which is expected to see the largest growth in clean energy jobs, reaching more than 60,000 by 2030.
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.”
Miliband added: “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.”
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Pat McFadden, said: “We’re giving workers the skills needed for switch to clean energy, which is good for them, good for industry – and will drive growth across the nation.
“Our new jobs plan will unlock real opportunities and ensure everyone has access to the training and support to secure the well-paid jobs that will power our country’s future, as part of our Plan for Change.”
Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens, said: “Wales’s growing clean energy industry is delivering the well-paid, highly-skilled jobs of the future.
“Projects right across the country from Pembrokeshire to Flintshire are creating opportunities for hundreds of our young people and will help drive regional growth as well as accelerating our drive towards lower bills and energy security.”
Reaction:
Paul Nowak, general secretary of the TUC:
“After years of previous governments starving British industry of investment, this represents a serious plan to start to rebuild our industrial heartlands and deliver quality jobs in clean energy – as well as supporting even more in supply chains right across the country.
“Crucially, it puts decent work at the heart of our energy system. And it shows that when government makes a plan with unions and workers, the whole country can benefit.
“Whether it’s welders in Wrexham or pipefitters on Teesside, the firm commitment to clean energy jobs being good union jobs is one which will improve working lives the country over.
“We now look forward to government delivering a similarly robust and funded plan for the North Sea transition, which safeguards jobs and livelihoods.”
Charlotte Brumpton-Childs, national officer at the GMB:
“GMB has long campaigned for a jobs first transition. The government is listening and having a jobs plan to underpin the industrial strategy is exactly what this country needs.
“GMB welcomes this roadmap for clean energy jobs and the cast iron expectation unions and their members will be at the heart of this.
“We need fair work agreements and taxpayers’ cash has to be spend where good jobs are going to be created.
“Today’s plan not only sets out that expectation but crucially, how good jobs can be measured.”
Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the RMT:
“RMT welcomes the government’s commitment to closing loopholes in maritime and offshore employment law, which should in turn create domestic opportunities in coastal communities that support the entirety of the offshore wind supply chain.
“This plan has the potential to create hundreds of thousands of good jobs across the UK, offering real opportunities for those wishing to transition from oil and gas and for a new generation of workers in their own communities.”
Christina McAnea, general secretary of UNISON:
“Clean, homegrown energy is essential in tackling climate change and delivering economic growth.
“This plan can help create a UK workforce with highly skilled, fairly paid and secure jobs.
“Extra investment for retraining will mean experienced staff already employed in the sector are able to take on new roles.
“Additional funding for apprenticeships and opportunities for young people are crucial too if the UK is to have a bright and clean energy future.”
Alasdair McDiarmid, assistant general secretary of Community:
“After long years of managed decline and neglect under previous governments, we now have an ambitious government which is serious about rebuilding Britain’s industrial base.
“Crucially, the government is also investing in the skills needed to power the future of British manufacturing – something Community has long called for.
“The push for new clean energy jobs will also support our members in both the light industries and steel sector, with steel being an essential component for green energy infrastructure and construction.
“We look forward to opportunities to collaborate with the government as they roll out this initiative across the UK, delivering for working people in the communities they live in.”
Sue Ferns, senior deputy general secretary at Prospect:
“The infrastructure investment required to achieve the government’s clean energy mission must be backed by a major boost to jobs and skills.
“If this mission is to be a success, and support the wider industrial strategy and growth agendas, then we urgently need a step-change in the level of workforce development.
“In this context is it welcome that this Jobs Plan now exists and the new initiatives are a welcome step in the right direction.”
Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite:
“Well paid, secure work must be at the heart of any green transition. Unite members will welcome the commitment to 400,000 green jobs with strong collective bargaining rights.
“The actions set out in this plan are initial steps in what must be an ambitious strategy for tangible jobs, backed by an equally ambitious programme of public investment.”
Chris O’Shea, chief executive of Centrica:
“We have committed to creating a new apprenticeship for every day of this decade. These new secure, skilled, well-paid jobs are key to unlocking the economic growth the UK so desperately needs.
“Clean energy isn’t simply about new technology – it’s about renewing purpose and harnessing the skills and infrastructure that have served us for decades to power the next chapter.
“I’m proud Centrica has the largest unionised workforce in UK energy and services, and we are delighted to welcome the government’s Clean Jobs Plan as a vital step in recognising the skills, protections and careers that must underpin the energy transition.”
Keith Anderson, CEO of ScottishPower:
“Thanks to the clear direction set out by the government’s Clean Power 2030 Mission, we’re investing at record levels in the clean electricity infrastructure the UK needs for energy security and economic growth. Our £24 billion investment plan is creating thousands of job opportunities.
“We’re recruiting for good, well-paid skilled jobs at record levels. We’re welcoming 300 new recruits in the last 3 months of 2025 alone and aim to bring on another 2,000 jobs up to 2027.
“Many of these jobs are in the communities that we serve in Scotland, England and Wales.
“This is on top of the benefits for local supply chain businesses across the country from our commitment to domestic procurement that currently supports 70,000 jobs in the UK supply chain.”
Matthieu Hue, CEO of EDF power solutions UK:
“We welcome the plan which brings clarity on the scale of the opportunity for people across the UK to work in high quality jobs which will contribute to our electric future.
“EDF power solutions has 2 GW of wind, solar and battery in operation and our goal is to have 5 times that amount by 2035, so we will need many more skilled people to help us reach our ambition.
“Our partnership with 4 trade unions, GMB, Prospect, Unison and Unite shows our commitment to working together with them to grow our business.”
Darren Davidson, vice president of Siemens Energy UK&I:
“Siemens Energy is a major employer in the UK with 6,500 workers at sites across the UK. We have taken on 140 new apprentices this autumn, and we currently have more than 200 active vacancies.
“The jobs plan announcement is welcome news, building on the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan that was launched at our Hull offshore wind blade factory.”
Tania Kumar, director of net zero at the CBI:
“The growth of the clean energy economy is creating opportunities for people and places across the whole of the UK.
“The launch of the Clean Energy Jobs Plan offers a tangible way to connect communities with both the opportunities emerging across the sector and the businesses at the forefront of delivering them.
“If we want people to feel invested in the transition and ensure they are able to participate in it, we must show them how they fit into the vision.
“This plan begins to do just that, laying out clear pathways no matter whether you’re in work, seeking employment or returning to the job market.”
Dhara Vyas, CEO of Energy UK:
“Today’s announcement is a critical step forward in building the workforce required to deliver our future energy system.
“It rightly recognises the need to tackle the skills challenge collectively by investing in both new talent and our existing workforce.
“With up to 400,000 new jobs on the horizon and a clear focus on high-quality, inclusive opportunities, the Clean Energy Job Plan spotlights a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a cleaner, fairer energy system whose benefits will be felt by people and communities across the country.”
