Source · Select Committees · Energy Security and Net Zero Committee
Recommendation 14
14
Acknowledged
Empower devolved governments and resource coordination for consistent training and skill portability.
Recommendation
We welcome the Government’s attention to leveraging the significant potential of various levels of devolved government across different parts of the UK. They should be empowered to lead on approaches tailored to local or regional strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, the Government must provide the Office for Clean Energy Jobs and Skills England with the authority and resources to meaningfully co-ordinate policies with counterparts in the UK’s nations to ensure consistency in training and therefore the portability of skills. (Recommendation, Paragraph 73) 48
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with empowering devolved governments and ensuring consistency in training, highlighting existing collaboration through the Clean Energy Jobs Plan and initiatives like Regional Skills Pilots but makes no specific commitments.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
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.