A new Future Energy Skills Board, consisting of voices from business, trade unions and academia, has been launched to support a “just transition” into renewable energy for the UK’s energy workforce.
The group – co-chaired by GMB general secretary, Gary Smith and Centrica CEO, Chris O’Shea – aims to create and develop the UK’s skilled workforce and corporate leadership to support the renewable energy transition, as well as address the urgent need for greater energy resilience in the UK.
Building upon government-led initiatives such as the Green Jobs Taskforce, the group will produce two reports.
The first report will analyse what actions can be taken to ensure that the UK’s accelerated plans for energy independence provides future careers, especially in a more geopolitically challenging environment.
Accordingly, creating a domestic and internationally competitive from the perspectives of home energy efficiency, tidal stream, hydrogen, electric vehicles, and clean heavy industry will be considered. Alongside this, the board will analyse viable options for the repurposing of existing oil and gas infrastructure.
“Workers and their communities must be at the heart of our nation’s energy future,” said Gary Smith, GMB General Secretary.
“These voices are essential to ensuring the transition to a net-zero economy works for all. This programme brings together leaders from industry, trade unions and academia to use their expertise in tackling the twin challenges of transitioning to a low carbon future and the urgent need for greater energy resilience. The group will do so by focusing on the opportunities to create the skilled workforce and corporate leadership that ensures our country is a global leader.”
The board’s second report will explore the logistics of ensuring that the UK’s existing high carbon workforce are supported in a fair transition as the UK pursues net zero.
The programme will look at supporting the UK in becoming a major export revenue stream by ensuring that high skilled jobs manufacturing the necessary infrastructure for a low carbon, energy dependent are based in the UK.
“Delivering the transition to a net-zero economy has consequences for British industry, the future of thousands of workers and the communities in which they live,” added Chris O’Shea, CEO at Centrica.
“High amongst the challenges and opportunities is the need to retain and retrain our existing workforce and repurpose legacy infrastructure in a way that enables new industries to flourish and generates value for future generations. In the coming weeks we look forward to exploring how British workers and businesses can be best placed to make the most of these opportunities.”
Elsewhere, EDF Energy took a significant step towards building a skilled energy workforce in the UK so as to support the nation’s transition to net zero by opening a new training academy to upskill heat pump installers last month.
