Source · Select Committees · Energy Security and Net Zero Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Accepted
Skilled labour supply insufficient to meet demand for clean energy and decarbonised buildings.
Conclusion
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 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.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with this recommendation. The government is committed to tackling the barriers preventing the transition of existing energy sector workers. The majority of the workforce needed to meet our clean energy ambitions are already in employment,1 and Robert Gordon University estimate that over 90% of the UK’s oil and gas workforce have skills that have medium to high transferability to the offshore renewables, making them well-positioned to transition.2 The Energy Skills Passport is one tool to support this, and we are continuing to support its expansion, including exploring the inclusion of additional clean energy sectors, such as electricity networks and nuclear. The Clean Energy Jobs Plan sets out a broader package of measures to create a highly-skilled and transferrable workforce, including providing up to £20 million of funding from UK and Scottish Government to aid the transition of North Sea workers through the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund. We also committed to a bespoke offer for veterans to help them move into the clean energy sector. 1 The Prince’s Responsible Business Network (2022) Rebooting Lifelong Learning for a Skilled Workforce 2 Robert Gordon University (2023) Powering up the Workforce In the North Sea Future Plan, we announced a new North Sea Jobs Service, which will offer end-to-end career transition support for oil and gas workers looking to move into secure jobs in growing industries. The Jobs Service will work closely with industry to identify vacancies, match eligible workers to prospective employers, and identify ways to close any qualification gaps including through existing services. DESNZ is exploring options to enhance the impact of the Clean Industry Bonus by accelerating skills investment and supporting workforce transition into offshore wind. As part of this, we have consulted on whether developers should contribute to a collaborative skills fund or invest directly in project-level skills initiatives. DESNZ and Skills England are working with the Devolved Nations to identify shared skills challenges and explore what we can do collaboratively to that will drive consistency in training and lead to portability of skills.