Skills Passports Go Live

Skills Passports Fo Live Today

As Britain continues it's epic energy transition, the government today added a boost to the workers considering changing to working in clean energy roles with a "Skills Passport" system.

The government's Plan for Change had already heralded the intention of the incoming new cabinet and now we can reveal today that the first areas being targeted with the scheme include Aberdeen, Cheshire, Lincolnshire and Pembrokeshire.

This is a strategic choice as these areas already have concentrations of workers skilled in oil and gas production so they are ideally placed for the burgeoning renewable and clean energy sector.

Funding Plans

Budget has been allocated to creating new skills centres which will encourage applicants to retrain and up skill in key areas where there are shortages. We need more welders, electrical engineers and construction workers. Ed Miliband the Energy Secretary says;

"Our Plan for Change to deliver clean power is not just about protecting households and businesses from the rollercoaster of fossil fuel markets, it is also about reindustrialising Britain with thousands of well-paid, good union jobs in industrial communities."

The budget includes over £40 Billion pounds in investments for people who need to train to work in the targeted sectors. It's not just new starters, thousands of existing workers will be able to from today, identify how their existing qualifications can be transitioned into qualifications which enable them to find new work in clean energy projects.

Skills Minister Jacqui Smith says;

"Skills England will continue this work, collaborating with employers, providers and others to tackle skills gaps across the country."

The skills regional funding comes from the Office for Clean Energy Skills Fund and will be awarded for skills mapping to the following partners:

North and North East Lincolnshire - Midlands Net Zero Hub hosted by Nottingham City Council
Cheshire West and Chester - North West Net Zero Hub - overseen by Local Enterprise Partnerships and Combined Authorities in the North West
Pembrokeshire – Welsh Government
extensive skills mapping for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire has already been undertaken and the region will be considered for further funding later in the year to deliver skills support

The ‘skills passport’ was supported with £3.7 million of Scottish Government Just Transition funding between 2022 and 2024.

The press release from government says;

From today (22 January), workers will be able to create an account to access the four career pathways currently available, helping them identify where their existing qualifications are recognised. Led by Renewable UK and Offshore Energies UK, and supported by the UK and funding from Scottish Government, the tool will be expanded over the coming year to recognise other pathways from oil and gas into the renewable sector.

As we hurtle towards electrification of the energy use of buildings and offices across the UK, the boost to local, former heavily industrialised areas will be a boon for both regional and national transition to clean energy resources.