Electric vehicle (EV) trade group Recharge UK has called on the new UK government to pay attention to green skills and urged the development of of specialised training facilities.
Recharge UK is the EV arm of the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA). It is calling for “radical changes to skills and training courses in the UK”, based on recommendations it made in its April 2024 report, Harnessing the skills opportunities of a recharged electric vehicle sector.
The new Labour government recently confirmed it will form a new practical skills training body to be known as Skills England, which a briefing document said will “bring together businesses, providers, unions, mayoral combined authorities and government to ensure we have the highly trained workforce that England needs”.
Recharge UK is pushing the government to emphasise green skills by establishing Centres Of Excellence for Net Zero Skills: dedicated green skills training centres where local employers would sponsor training courses. The trade group believes that such centres would provide a clear pathway for post-19 education, allowing college and university graduates the opportunity to specialise in net zero skills such as chargepoint installation and maintenance.
The REA’s transport policy manager, Matthew Adams, said: “We welcome the engagement Labour had with our skills report when they were in opposition. I hope that we can continue to have a strong relationship to deliver the change the industry needs to accelerate the deployment of charging infrastructure across the UK”.
Adams praised the government for its launch of Skills England, calling it “a good start” and adding that he hopes it “takes on some of our recommendations and recognises the challenges for each part of the EV sector from manufacturers, to installers and charge point operators (CPOs) to software providers and local authorities and technicians”.
Green skills gap is increasingly problematic
The green skills gap has been increasingly in the spotlight as the speed at which green tech needs to be developed, installed and maintained continues to rise.
Analysis by Cornwall Insight found that the UK needs to more than double the rate at which public EV chargers are installed if the UK government target of 300,000 installed chargers by 2030 is to be met.
In response, a new certification scheme for EV charger installers has been launched, with the hope that a standardised qualification will increase the speed and quality of EV charger installations in the UK.