The Clean Energy Jobs Plan sets out how employment in the sector will grow to 860,000 by the end of the decade, underpinned by record public and private investment in renewables, nuclear, and clean technologies. The plan identifies 31 priority occupations, including plumbers, electricians, and welders, where demand is expected to rise sharply.
Five new Technical Excellence Colleges will be established to train future workers for these roles, supported by pilot programmes in Cheshire, Lincolnshire, and Pembrokeshire. The initiatives form part of a broader skills reform aiming for two-thirds of young people to participate in higher-level learning by age 25.
The government will introduce new measures requiring companies receiving public grants and contracts to provide fair pay, strong employment protections, and high-quality jobs. A Fair Work Charter between offshore wind developers and trade unions is planned to help ensure consistent standards across the sector.
Further initiatives include retraining for oil and gas workers, new schemes for veterans, ex-offenders, and the unemployed, and an expanded Energy Skills Passport to make it easier for existing workers to transition into clean energy roles.
Clean energy occupations already offer salaries significantly above the national average, with many entry-level positions paying around 23% more than equivalent roles in other industries.
The plan supports the government’s goal of making the UK a clean energy superpower, with more than £50billion of private investment secured since last year and major projects such as Sizewell C, the Acorn and Viking carbon capture hubs, and small modular reactor programmes expected to create tens of thousands of new jobs.
You can read the government news release here