Source · Select Committees · Energy Security and Net Zero Committee
Recommendation 2
2
Accepted
Government intervention and public expenditure crucial to address clean energy sector skills gaps.
Conclusion
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)
Government Response 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.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government partially agrees with this recommendation To ensure we have a robust talent pipeline for the clean energy workforce, we must ensure that every section of the population is aware of the career opportunities in clean energy, from young people, to the unemployed, to those looking to transition into a new career. A failure to communicate with, and attract talent from, diverse groups of society will undermine our ability to build the workforce we need as it narrows the pool of talent available. Energy & Utility Skills, with support DESNZ and organisations including BEAMA, ECITB, Energy UK, EngineeringUK, and RenewableUK, are leading a UK-wide industry-led awareness and attraction campaign on job and career opportunities. An industry-led Social Inclusion Forum, chaired by Energy & Utility Skills with support from POWERful Women and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, has been created to assess the impact of and allow better coordination between various social inclusion initiatives. The Forum includes representatives from government, industry, trade associations, professional bodies, and trade unions. The Forum will report on progress annually, and build on and incorporate learning to deliver an improved working culture across the clean energy sector and its supply chains. The Post-16 Education and Skills Strategy outlines reforms to the post-16 education and skills system in England to meet the needs of the economy, close skills gaps and support growth.