Marvin OnumonuThe Government has revealed its plan to create a ‘clean power army’ of engineers, welders, and technicians to meet the clean power target by 2030.
This initiative is part of the ‘Plan for Change’ to boost UK jobs and growth.
Regional Skills Pilots will be launched in Aberdeen, Cheshire, Lincolnshire, and Pembrokeshire.
The shift to clean energy is expected to provide many job opportunities across the sector, from renewables to the UK’s grid improvement.
The National Grid aims to support about 55,000 jobs by 2030, while SSE Transmission plans to support an additional 37,000 jobs, 17,500 of which will be in Scotland.
Scottish Power’s SP Energy Networks also plans to double its workforce, creating around 1,400 jobs and supporting an extra 11,000 jobs in the UK.
All these plans await approval from the regulator.
Funding for training will target specific skills needed in the clean energy industry, potentially directed towards new training centres, courses, or career advisers in welding, electrical engineering, and construction.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “The energy sector has always been a source of good, skilled, and unionised jobs for young people across the UK, providing secure, well-paid employment for life.
“To meet our target to reach clean power by 2030, we need a clean power army of engineers, welders and technicians – giving thousands of young people the opportunity to play a vital role in tackling the climate crisis, increasing our energy security and boosting the economy to deliver our Plan for Change.”
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said: “With almost a million young people neither earning nor learning it is vital that we give this generation the tools they need to seize the opportunity that is the clean energy transition.
“Our plan to Get Britain Working will overhaul employment support, giving everyone the tools and skills they need to and build a stronger, more prosperous future for them and their families.”
