The UK’s clean energy revolution is poised to create a record 400,000 new clean energy jobs by 2030, double the size of the current workforce and transform the country’s industrial landscape.
This boom, backed by massive government and private investment, has increased demand for skilled workers across the country, from electricians and plumbers to welders and engineers.
UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband explained: “Local communities have long called for a new generation of good industrial jobs. The clean energy jobs boom can answer that call and we are announcing a ground-breaking national plan to deliver it.”
“Our plan will help create an economy where people don’t have to leave their hometowns just to find a decent job. Thanks to this government’s commitment to clean energy, a generation of young people in our industrial heartland will have access to good-paying, secure jobs.”
“These are pro-worker, pro-jobs, pro-union policies that will deliver the national renewal that our country needs.”
Green job boom supported by record investment
More than £50bn of private investment has flowed into the sector since July last year, driven by the government’s clean energy mission.
Projects such as the Sizewell C nuclear power station, which will support up to 10,000 clean energy jobs at peak construction, and Rolls-Royce’s small modular nuclear reactor program, which is expected to create 3,000 roles, are at the forefront of this industry revival.
The Government’s green light for carbon capture projects such as Acorn in Scotland and Viking in the North East will add a further 35,000 jobs, including 1,000 apprentices.
Coupled with ongoing carbon capture, utilization and storage initiatives in the North West and Teesside, the clean energy sector is fast becoming one of the UK’s largest sources of industrial employment.
National strategy for developing the next generation
For the first time, the UK Government will unveil a comprehensive national plan to train the next generation of clean energy workers.
This ground-breaking workforce strategy aims to ensure that the projected 860,000 jobs by 2030 are not only abundant, but also high-quality and well-paid jobs.
At the heart of the plan are five new technical excellence colleges dedicated to equipping young people with the skills they need for careers in renewable energy, nuclear power and advanced energy systems.
The pilot scheme in Cheshire, Lincolnshire and Pembrokeshire, worth a total of £2.5m, will support new training centres, courses and careers advice.
Education providers, industry leaders and local authorities will work together under one cohesive framework that aligns skills training to real-world demand in 31 priority occupations, including welders, electricians and engineers.
Empowering veterans, ex-offenders, and oil and gas workers
A series of separate initiatives aim to open clean energy jobs to a broader workforce. The government is partnering with Mission Renewable to launch a Veterans Transition Program to match ex-servicemen to roles in the wind, solar and nuclear energy sectors.
For ex-offenders, school dropouts and the unemployed, the targeted scheme will provide a training pathway into skilled energy roles, tapping into more than 13,000 people who already have relevant skills from their previous industries.
Meanwhile, workers with traditional oil and gas backgrounds will benefit from up to £20 million in retraining funding.
The successful Aberdeen Skills Pilot is being expanded across the country alongside the extension of the Energy Skills Passport to help marine workers seamlessly transition into clean energy roles such as offshore wind and grid maintenance.
Better wages and fairer jobs in a clean energy economy
Clean energy jobs are not only plentiful, but lucrative. Entry-level roles in this sector pay 23% more than other comparable roles, with average salaries for wind, nuclear and power grid infrastructure jobs exceeding £50,000 (compared to the UK national average of £37,000).
The government’s new Fair Work Charter, developed in partnership with trade unions, will guarantee good wages, secure contracts and safe conditions for all workers in the clean energy industry.
In addition, new legislation will extend employment protections, including a national minimum wage, to offshore clean energy workers across UK territorial waters.
These measures underscore our renewed commitment to ensuring that the transition to clean energy brings prosperity and dignity to all workers.
Building a future-ready workforce
As demand for skilled workers soars, the government has pledged to restore the role of trade unions as key partners in shaping the modern workplace.
Union membership in the energy sector has fallen from 70% in the 1990s to around 30% today, and ministers believe co-operation is essential to ensure fair pay and good conditions across the industry.
Britain’s clean energy transformation also aligns with the far-reaching education reforms announced by the Prime Minister, setting a target for two-thirds of young people to be engaged in high-level learning through academic, technical or apprenticeships by the age of 25.
Powering Britain’s clean energy future
From the industrial hub of Teesside to wind farms on the east coast of England, where the sector is expected to employ 60,000 people by 2030, the clean energy revolution is reshaping the future of the UK economy.
As investment accelerates, opportunities expand and wages rise, the UK is positioning itself as a world leader in clean energy jobs, delivering not just a net zero future, but a fairer and more prosperous future for everyone.
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