Source · Select Committees · Energy Security and Net Zero Committee
Recommendation 6
6
Not Addressed
Set out options by 2026 for leveraging skilled immigration to boost home-grown talent.
Recommendation
The Government should, by the end of 2026, set out a range of further options for conditionality to leverage the short-term need for skilled immigration to boost the longer-term need for home-grown talent. An analysis of their potential impacts should be included. (Recommendation, Paragraph 34) The role of the Department and its Office for Clean Energy Jobs
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the recommendation but then discusses the role of devolved and local governments in skills planning and various collaborative initiatives for local skills provision, entirely failing to address the request for options on conditionality for skilled immigration by the end of 2026.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
The government agrees with this recommendation. As stated in the Clean Energy Jobs Plan, devolved governments, Mayoral Strategic Authorities (MSAs), and local authorities are pivotal in shaping and delivering a responsive, place-based skills system. The UK government works closely with devolved, regional and local governments. The new statutory guidance on Local Skills Improvement Plans makes reference to the Clean Energy Jobs Plan as relevant to their development. We also committed in the Clean Energy Jobs Plan to work with MSAs, the Net Zero Hubs, and Skills England to identify how to improve the granularity of regional clean energy jobs estimates, which could support local areas better target their skills planning. The Clean Energy Jobs Plan was developed in close collaboration with the devolved governments, with each of the devolved governments providing a summary of actions they are taking forward relating to clean energy jobs. We will continue to work closely with the devolved governments on a range of skills interventions and strategic workforce planning going forward. The Office for Clean Energy Jobs and Skills England work together closely, including with counterparts in the devolved nations, including on issues such as workforce transition and alignment of skills policy. We 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. OCEJ already works closely with partners in the devolved nations through initiatives such as the Regional Skills Pilots. This includes working with the Welsh Government to deliver upskilling courses through Stackable Micro-Skills Credentials in Pembrokeshire; partnering with the Scottish Government on the Oil and Gas Training Fund to support workers in Aberdeen transitioning to clean energy; and jointly funding a bespoke skills support package, including the Training Guarantee, in Grangemouth.