Bonanza will bring 400,000 extra jobs by 2030, with high demand for roles including plumbers, electricians and welders

The government has 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.  

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. 

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. 

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said:  

“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”.

Pat McFadden

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Pat McFadden, observed: 

“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”.

The government’s clean energy mission is already delivering for the UK, with the certainty and stability of having galvanised over £50 billion of private investment since last July.  

Development of Sizewell C has been given the green light, which will support 10,000 jobs at peak construction; Rolls Royce as been announced as the preferred bidder for the small modular reactor programme to support up to 3,000 jobs; planning for the Acorn and the Viking projects in Scotland is well underway and the North East 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.   

Lieutenant General (Retd) Richard Nugee CB CVO CBE, Chair, Mission Renewable, added: 

“The Clean Energy Jobs Plan reflects the valuable contributions those who have served have made and can continue to make to the nation. By linking veterans and their families with career opportunities in the clean energy sector, Mission Renewable helps companies tap into and retain skilled talent, while at the same time enabling Armed Forces communities to thrive and feel valued. The sector and companies benefit, the veterans benefit and ultimately the nation benefits from skilled people delivering growth and opportunity.” 

A 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.