Clean energy jobs boom to see 15,000 new jobs in communities across Wales
A generation of young people in Wales will benefit from clean energy jobs, under plans announced by the UK government as part of its clean energy superpower mission.
Wide picture of four white wind turbines.
- UK Government publishes first ever national plan to recruit workers needed for clean energy mission, with over 15,000 extra clean energy jobs in Wales alone by 2030.
- 31 priority occupations such as plumbers, electricians and welders are particularly in demand.
- Skills pilots in Pembrokeshire, Cheshire and Lincolnshire will be backed by a total of £2.5 million – which could go towards new training centres, courses or career advisers.
- Energy Secretary to set out measures ensuring companies receiving public grants and contracts need to deliver good jobs across the clean energy sector.
A generation of young people in Wales will benefit from clean energy jobs, under plans announced by the UK government today as part of its clean energy superpower mission.
Backed by record UK government and private sector investment in clean energy such as renewables and nuclear, the clean energy economy is sparking a boom in demand for good industrial jobs in all regions and nations of the UK – with 31 priority occupations such as plumbers, electricians, and welders particularly in demand.
For the first time, the UK government will publish a comprehensive national plan to train up the next generation of clean energy workers, with employment expected to double to 860,000 by 2030, ensuring jobs are high quality and well paid.
Wales will benefit from up to 20,000 clean energy jobs by 2030, an increase of up to 15,000 from 2023.
Key skills needed in the region include trades such as electricians, bricklayers and plumbers as well as engineers and metal workers, with the largest clean energy employer expected to be in carbon capture as well as offshore wind.
As part of today’s plan, Pembrokeshire, alongside Cheshire and Lincolnshire, will benefit directly from a skills pilot scheme, backed by £2.5 million in total of UK Government funding, to support local communities with new training centres, courses or career advisers to get jobs in clean energy.
The Energy Secretary will also set out how this government sees trade unions as an essential part of the modern workplace and economy. Across the broader energy sector, trade union coverage has declined from over 70% in the mid 90’s to around 30% today. Recognising trade unions is vital to securing high pay and good conditions for workers.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said:
Wales is essential to the clean energy revolution that this government is delivering. Communities across Wales have long been calling out for a new generation of good industrial jobs. The clean energy jobs boom can answer that call - and today we publish a landmark national plan to make it happen.
Our plans will help create an economy in which there is no need to leave your hometown just to find a decent job. Thanks to this government’s commitment to clean energy a generation of young people in our industrial heartlands can have well-paid secure jobs, from plumbers to electricians and welders.
This is a pro-worker, pro-jobs, pro-union, agenda that will deliver the national renewal our country needs.
Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said:
Wales’s growing clean energy industry is delivering the well-paid, highly-skilled jobs of the future.
Projects right across the country from Pembrokeshire to Flintshire are creating opportunities for hundreds of our young people and will help drive regional growth as well as accelerating our drive towards lower bills and energy security.
Welsh Government Minister for Skills, Jack Sargeant, said:
Our ambition is to ensure today’s young people will have the skills needed to work the jobs of tomorrow, helping us embed the industries and services of the future in our communities.
With decades of industrial expertise Wales is primed to capitalise on the generational opportunity that is the UK’s clean energy revolution. The plan announced today will complement our Net Zero Skills Action Plan and support our journey to a cleaner, more prosperous Wales.
The UK government’s clean energy mission is already leading to a jobs boom in the UK, with the certainty and stability of the government’s mission having galvanised over £50 billion of private investment since last July.
The Hynet CCUS project will support jobs in North Wales, Cheshire and Flintshire, and is projected to create 2,800 direct jobs. The Mona Offshore Wind Farm off the coast of North Wales is also set to provide 3,500 jobs over its lifetime.
For young people, these jobs can offer higher levels of pay with entry level roles in the majority of occupations in clean energy paying 23% more than the same occupations in other sectors.
Jobs in wind, nuclear, and electricity networks all advertise average salaries of over £50,000, compared to the UK average of £37,000, and are spread across coastal and post-industrial communities.
New skills initiatives include:
- Training up the next generation of clean energy workers - Five new Technical Excellence Colleges will help train young people into essential roles. Skills pilots in Pembrokeshire, Cheshire and Lincolnshire will be backed by a total of £2.5 million – which could go towards new training centres, courses or career advisers.
- Harnessing the valuable expertise and transferrable skills of veterans - Working with Mission Renewable, the government is launching a new programme to match veterans up with careers in solar panel installation, wind turbine factories, and nuclear power stations.
- Tailored schemes for ex-offenders, school leavers, and the unemployed – Last year alone, 13,700 people who were out of work possessed many of the skills required for key roles in the clean energy sector, such as engineering and skilled trades.
- Upskill existing workers - Oil and gas workers will benefit from up to £20 million in total from the UK and Scottish Governments to provide bespoke careers training for thousands of new roles in clean energy. This follows high demand for the Aberdeen skills pilot, which is already supporting workers into new careers. Government is also extending the ‘energy skills passport’, which identifies routes for oil and gas workers to easily transition into roles in offshore wind, to new sectors including nuclear and the electricity grid.
The plan also includes landmark proposals to ensure that jobs in the clean energy sector have world class pay, terms and conditions.
- Closing loopholes in legislation to extend employment protections enjoyed by offshore oil and gas workers working beyond UK territorial seas, including the national minimum wage, to the clean energy sector.
- A new Fair Work Charter between offshore wind developers and trade unions to ensure that companies benefiting from public funding provide decent wages and strong workplace rights.
- Workforce criteria in grants and procurements to test and pilot innovative ways to drive fair work and skills in DESNZ grants and contracts, including through the Clean Industry Bonus and the newly formed Great British Energy.
It comes after the Prime Minister announced a package of reforms to elevate and transform the education skills system, with a new target for two-thirds of young people to participate in higher-level learning – academic, technical or apprenticeships – by age 25, up from 50% today.
With at least one in six ex-military already armed with many of the skills needed for the clean energy sector, the government is joining forces with Mission Renewable to match them up with careers in solar panel installation, wind turbine factories, and nuclear power stations.