Recommendations & Conclusions
11 items
1
Conclusion
6th Report - Workforce planning to deli…
Accepted
The supply of skilled labour does not currently match the levels of demand expected to be required if the UK is to fulfil Government’s ambitions to deliver clean energy by 2030 and decarbonised buildings by 2050. (Conclusion, Paragraph 29)
Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the conclusion, committing to expand the Energy Skills Passport, provide £20 million for North Sea worker transition, launch a North Sea Jobs Service, and explore developer contributions to a skills fund as part of its Clean Energy Jobs Plan.
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Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
2
Conclusion
6th Report - Workforce planning to deli…
Accepted
Fortunately, there is a lot of scope for smart policy and expenditure to be used to collaborate with the whole energy sector, as well as the education and skills sector, to empower and equip existing workers and new entrants to meet demand created by the Government’s targets for clean energy …
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Fortunately, there is a lot of scope for smart policy and expenditure to be used to collaborate with the whole energy sector, as well as the education and skills sector, to empower and equip existing workers and new entrants to meet demand created by the Government’s targets for clean energy and the decarbonisation of buildings. Crucially, time appears to remain available for productive change and many of the skills of the existing energy, engineering and construction workforces are highly transferable, alongside the potential for innovative and creative programmes to demonstrate crossover applicable skills from other parts of the economy. The skilled jobs that will be required, offer the promise of long-term, good careers but it is unclear that market forces alone will overcome inertia and bottlenecks. Notwithstanding the role of the private sector in investing in skills, there is a clear role for government intervention and leveraged public expenditure. (Conclusion, Paragraph 30)
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Government response AI summary
The government partially agrees, outlining specific actions including an industry-led awareness campaign for clean energy careers, the establishment of a Social Inclusion Forum to coordinate initiatives, and referencing the Post-16 Education and Skills Strategy to build a robust talent pipeline.
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Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
5
Recommendation
6th Report - Workforce planning to deli…
Accepted
The Government should continue to develop and launch further initiatives to promote clean energy and retrofit careers among under-represented groups and those outside the existing workforce; the actions set out in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper should be accelerated to bring down the barriers to new entrants from …
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The Government should continue to develop and launch further initiatives to promote clean energy and retrofit careers among under-represented groups and those outside the existing workforce; the actions set out in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper should be accelerated to bring down the barriers to new entrants from these groups taking up such roles in time to have a meaningful impact on the goals for clean energy and retrofit. (Recommendation, Paragraph 33)
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the recommendation, stating that the existing Office for Clean Energy Jobs within DESNZ already coordinates work, convenes stakeholders, and identifies skills gaps to build a skilled clean energy workforce, including in retrofit careers.
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Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
7
Conclusion
6th Report - Workforce planning to deli…
Accepted
For workforce planning to be effective, it is important that there is some shared definition of the jobs under discussion for support, encouragement and incentivisation; the Government’s clarifications around definitions has been helpful. We also welcome the Government taking an expansive approach to the scope of roles included and the …
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For workforce planning to be effective, it is important that there is some shared definition of the jobs under discussion for support, encouragement and incentivisation; the Government’s clarifications around definitions has been helpful. We also welcome the Government taking an expansive approach to the scope of roles included and the focus on ensuring high quality, well-paid careers. (Conclusion, Paragraph 50)
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the conclusion, outlining how Skills England is working to create long-term certainty for the skills system and how workforce modelling in the Jobs Plan is built on deployment expectations, supported by long-term clean energy investment and carbon budget plans.
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Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
10
Recommendation
6th Report - Workforce planning to deli…
Accepted
The Warm Homes Plan is crucial for retrofit workforce planning and should be published as soon as possible. It must set out a clear framework of responsibilities to ensure joined-up delivery. It should demonstrate the Government is putting good quality, well-paid careers, rather than just jobs, at the heart of …
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The Warm Homes Plan is crucial for retrofit workforce planning and should be published as soon as possible. It must set out a clear framework of responsibilities to ensure joined-up delivery. It should demonstrate the Government is putting good quality, well-paid careers, rather than just jobs, at the heart of its workforce planning. It should also demonstrate the Government is tailoring its messaging around roles in retrofit to reflect the various cohorts and motivations involved. Clear indications of levels of support for training routes should be included. (Recommendation, Paragraph 53)
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees and says that the Warm Homes Plan was published on 21 January 2026 outlining investment to upgrade homes and lift families out of fuel poverty, with policies and initiatives to deliver growth and good jobs, and a taskforce with the TUC to …
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Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
11
Recommendation
6th Report - Workforce planning to deli…
Accepted
The Office for Clean Energy Jobs should be effectively resourced so that its remit and activity can encompass both the clean energy and the retrofit workforces. (Recommendation, Paragraph 54) Collaborating with and supporting stakeholders
Government response AI summary
The government states that the Office for Clean Energy Jobs is already resourced and plays a crucial convening role between industry, trade unions, and training providers.
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Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
19
Conclusion
6th Report - Workforce planning to deli…
Accepted
Consumer and public sector demand have a significant role to play in increasing the demand for, and therefore exerting influence on the supply of, skills. Longer and more detailed time frames will provide certainty not just for consumers in seeking to adopt technologies but also for employers to invest in …
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Consumer and public sector demand have a significant role to play in increasing the demand for, and therefore exerting influence on the supply of, skills. Longer and more detailed time frames will provide certainty not just for consumers in seeking to adopt technologies but also for employers to invest in the skills needed to develop, manufacture and install them. The demand for the work needs to come first for the investment in skills to follow. (Conclusion, Paragraph 91)
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the conclusion, citing actions to influence demand and certainty such as cancelling the ECO scheme, shifting energy costs, publishing responses on EPC reform and private rented sector energy standards, and committing to consult on hydrogen for home heating.
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Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
20
Conclusion
6th Report - Workforce planning to deli…
Accepted
The Government has at its disposal a range of measures, not all of which involve spending public money. There is scope for using procurement, and similar policy levers, to create the demand for skilled roles. (Conclusion, Paragraph 92)
Government response AI summary
The government agrees, highlighting the Warm Homes Plan's projected job creation and stating that DESNZ has set up a taskforce with the TUC to facilitate workforce growth. They also intend to integrate low-income capital schemes by 2027/28.
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Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
22
Recommendation
6th Report - Workforce planning to deli…
Accepted
In addition to increasing the overall number of workers, we recognise that productivity improvements and new working practices will be essential to meet the scale of labour demand identified in this Report. Evidence submitted on the sheer volume of work required, including retrofitting most UK homes to EPC C by …
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In addition to increasing the overall number of workers, we recognise that productivity improvements and new working practices will be essential to meet the scale of labour demand identified in this Report. Evidence submitted on the sheer volume of work required, including retrofitting most UK homes to EPC C by 2035 and delivering 1.5 million new homes and 5 million retrofits, with at least a quarter of a million additional workers needed for new build alone, suggests that relying solely on headcount growth will be challenging. The Government’s workforce planning should therefore explicitly consider how digital skills, new technologies and modern methods of construction can help increase productivity, improve quality and reduce bottlenecks, particularly in off-site manufacture, design, surveying, grid connection and project management. Skills England and the Office for 50 Clean Energy Jobs should work with industry to ensure that occupational standards and training provision reflect these evolving practices. (Recommendation, Paragraph 94)
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the recommendation, committing to review the system of standards, oversight, and protections for energy efficiency installations, consult on simplifying the system, and review PAS standards to broaden the definition of competence to ensure installations are completed correctly and reflect evolving practices.
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Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
24
Recommendation
6th Report - Workforce planning to deli…
Accepted
We look forward to the Government’s Warm Homes Plan and their estimate of workforce needs and how they will meet it. The Government’s Warm Homes Plan should facilitate a greater role for local authorities to accelerate the roll-out of retrofit. (Recommendation, Paragraph 96)
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We look forward to the Government’s Warm Homes Plan and their estimate of workforce needs and how they will meet it. The Government’s Warm Homes Plan should facilitate a greater role for local authorities to accelerate the roll-out of retrofit. (Recommendation, Paragraph 96)
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the recommendation and states that the Warm Homes Plan is projected to increase the number of jobs supported in energy efficiency and clean heating. DESNZ has set up a taskforce in partnership with the TUC, to facilitate the creation and growth …
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Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
27
Recommendation
6th Report - Workforce planning to deli…
Accepted
The Government should commit immediately to at least maintaining its support for measures aimed at increasing demand for retrofit during this Parliament. It should also commit to carrying out and publishing an evaluation of the impact of its funding schemes directly addressing the supply of skills before the end of …
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The Government should commit immediately to at least maintaining its support for measures aimed at increasing demand for retrofit during this Parliament. It should also commit to carrying out and publishing an evaluation of the impact of its funding schemes directly addressing the supply of skills before the end of the Spending Review period. (Recommendation, Paragraph 99) 51
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Government response AI summary
The government is investing £15 billion through the Warm Homes Plan to upgrade up to five million homes by 2030, and routinely carries out evaluation activities to measure the impact of departmental skills funding.
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Department for Energy Security and Net Zero