Government speeds up ‘skills passport’ for workers to move to clean energy jobs

The Government is speeding up the delivery of a “skills passport” to support oil and gas workers to move into jobs in renewables such as offshore wind, it has said.

As Energy Secretary Ed Miliband visits Aberdeen, recently announced as the headquarters for Great British Energy, the Government is also set to sign an agreement with the Scottish Government to boost the publicly-owned energy company’s efforts to support clean energy supply chains and infrastructure.

Officials said Great British Energy, which has £8.3 billion of funding over this Parliament, would develop partnerships with Scottish public bodies to accelerate Scotland’s pipeline of clean energy projects, including floating offshore wind development.

The Government has also confirmed it will speed up delivery of the skills passport for workers to transition from oil and gas to the renewable energy sector.

A digital tool for workers is set to be piloted by January 2025, officials said, as they pointed to research from Offshore Energies UK showing that 90% of oil and gas workers have transferable skills for offshore renewable jobs.

Mr Miliband said: “Scottish energy workers will power the United Kingdom’s clean energy future – including in carbon capture and storage, in hydrogen, in wind, and with oil and gas for decades to come as part of a fair transition in the North Sea.

“Unlike in the past, we’re also working closely with the Scottish Government with a new agreement to ensure our publicly-owned company Great British Energy is primed to accelerate clean energy investment in Scotland.”

Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy Gillian Martin said: “Scotland already has a strong pipeline of clean energy and supply chain opportunities, is at the forefront of floating offshore wind development, and has a depth of knowledge and experience on community and local energy.

“We look forward to working with Great British Energy to ensure it delivers real benefits for the people of Scotland and a just energy transition.”

And she said: “To make sure that no offshore energy workers are left behind, the Scottish Government provided initial funding of £3.7 million between 2022-2024 for the development of the industry-led skills passport.”

“The present situation, where training in one industry isn’t recognised in the other, cuts off opportunities for oil and gas workers.

“The fact some workers are paying out of their own pockets is scandalous.

“We need to cut that red tape and deliver a skills passport that allows offshore workers to move flexibly back and forth between both industries in the years and decades to come.”

David Whitehouse, chief executive of Offshore Energies UK, said the skills passport was an “important part of the toolkit industry is assembling in recognition of the integrated nature of the energy landscape”.

“Those working in our domestic oil and gas sector have powered the country for the last 50 years and will play a critical role in our energy future,” he said.

The Government has also announced that Liz Ditchburn has been appointed as chair of the North Sea Transition Authority, which regulates and influences the oil, gas, carbon storage and offshore hydrogen industries to deliver plans for the energy transition for the North Sea.

Sue Ferns, senior deputy general secretary of leading energy trade union Prospect, responding to the announcement of a new partnership between the UK and Scottish governments on clean energy, said: “Co-ordinated efforts across the UK’s supply chains will be essential if we are to have any chance of decarbonising the power supply by 2030 so this agreement with the Scottish Government is welcome.

“The focus on skills is especially important if we are to have a just transition, utilise the talent we already have, and help people into parallel low-carbon jobs.

“We hope that if the skills passport scheme is a success it will be possible to quickly roll it out more widely to help workers affected by the transition to Net Zero access jobs in clean energy.”

Emma Harrick, head of energy transition and supply chain at Scottish Renewables, said: “We welcome this new partnership between GB Energy and the Scottish Government which will help ensure Scotland’s renewable energy supply chain benefits from the deployment of clean energy projects like floating offshore windfarms.

“Suppliers in Scotland have a wealth of skills and capabilities which span decades of expertise, including offshore inspection, port services, steel fabrication and civil engineering.

“It is vital that we support these companies to grasp the green opportunities of the future.”