The government has announced the delivery of a much-anticipated "skills passport" scheme to help oil and gas workers transition to roles in clean, renewable energy.
Workers in Aberdeen, as well as across the UK, will be supported with government-backed training programmes to help drive the sea change in energy.
Aberdeen, Cheshire, Lincolnshire and Pembrokeshire have all been identified as key growth regions for clean energy, with flourishing offshore wind, nuclear, and solar industries.
And alongside this, the government is delivering on a "skills passport" to help oil and gas workers access clean energy job opportunities.
In collaboration with the Scottish government and the industry, oil and gas workers will be able to access the skills
passport online, which will initially help them identify routes into several
roles in offshore wind including construction and maintenance.
These
initiatives are designed to ensure the pipeline of skilled workers required to deliver
clean power by 2030, which will unlock £40billion of investment a year and
reindustrialise Britain with thousands of good jobs across the country.
Energy Secretary Ed
Miliband said: “Our Plan for Change to
deliver clean power is not just about protecting households and businesses from
the rollercoaster of fossil fuel markets, it is also about reindustrialising
Britain with thousands of well-paid, good union jobs in industrial communities.
“Unlike the failed
approach of previous governments, we won’t sit back and let good jobs go
overseas instead of coming to our shores.
“We are working with
communities, businesses, and trade unions to train workers here in Britain, so
we can seize the opportunities that clean power brings.”
Gillian Martin,
Scottish Government acting cabinet secretary for net zero and energy, said: “It is absolutely vital
that we recognise and retain the considerable skills of oil and gas workers and
ensure they are supported, as part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to
ensuring a fair and just transition for Scotland.
“That’s why the
Scottish Government has provided £3.7million of funding to support oil and gas
and renewables industries to jointly develop the Energy Skills Passport –
helping to ensure that the skills, experience and expertise of oil and gas
workers are harnessed and that they are ready to apply for the long term
sustainable jobs that are created as part of our fair and managed transition to
net zero.
“The Scottish
Government’s support on the passport will help ensure the economic
transformation is managed fairly for workers in existing industries and the
communities that underpin them. I welcome the pilot phase of the passport,
which has been three years in the making and I look forward to seeing further
developments in the coming months.”
Research from Offshore Energies UK shows 90% of oil and gas workers already have skills desirable for the clean energy transition.
And from today, workers will be able to create an account to access the
four career pathways currently available, helping them identify where their
existing qualifications are recognised.
The tool, led by Renewable UK and Offshore
Energies UK, and supported by the UK and funding from Scottish Government, will be expanded over the coming year to recognise other pathways from oil
and gas into the renewable sector.
With significant work identifying key skills already having been done in Aberdeen, funding will initially be focused in other parts of the UK, but all four areas locations will be considered for further
funding for targeted measures such as new training centres and courses to
upskill workers.
Employers
will also get a handbook which highlights where businesses can access support
to grow and upskill their workforce. This will include, for example,
sector-based work academy programmes which help jobseekers into the sector,
ensuring they have the necessary skills to deliver clean power by 2030.
Secretary of State for
Scotland Ian Murray said: "As part of our Plan for Change, the UK
Government is committed to supporting our world class offshore workforce as we
become a clean energy superpower.
"These new skills pilots in Aberdeen and
Aberdeenshire will help our oil and gas workers move into renewables jobs and
follow our recent action to accelerate the skills passport.
"We are cutting red tape and giving workers the
flexibility to move between industries and take advantage of the opportunities
that the clean energy transition will provide."
Skills Minister Jacqui
Smith said: “Skills will be a vital
part of our Plan for Change and transition to a clean energy future, and I have
spoken to many young people who are really keen to break into this booming
sector.
“This initiative is an
example of how skills training can support our number one mission to grow the
economy whilst helping to meet Britain’s energy needs and support the move
towards net zero.”