Oil and gas workers looking to transition into careers in the renewables industry will be given greater support under a new pilot scheme backed by £3.7 million in Government funding.
The Energy Skills Passport was launched on Wednesday and will help workers identify employment in the offshore wind sector.
It will make it easier for workers to understand which qualifications they need to enter into the industry and provide help on which career paths are available.
The Renewable UK and Offshore Energies UK-led pilot is being supported by the UK and Scottish Governments.
The Scottish Government, which has allocated £3.7 million for the project, said it was part of wider moves to ensure a just transition amid the goal of net-zero carbon emissions.
A just transition aims to ensure that workers in the oil and gas industry are able to gain suitable employment in the renewables sector as the world moves away from fossil fuels.
Acting Energy Secretary Gillian Martin said: “It is absolutely vital that we recognise and retain the considerable skills of oil and gas workers and ensure they are supported, as part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to ensuring a fair and just transition for Scotland.
“That’s why the Scottish Government has provided £3.7 million of funding to support oil and gas and renewables industries to jointly develop the Energy Skills Passport – helping to ensure that the skills, experience and expertise of oil and gas workers are harnessed and that they are ready to apply for the long-term sustainable jobs that are created as part of our fair and managed transition to net zero.
“The Scottish Government’s support on the passport will help ensure the economic transformation is managed fairly for workers in existing industries and the communities that underpin them.
“I welcome the pilot phase of the passport, which has been three years in the making and I look forward to seeing further developments in the coming months.”
Meanwhile, the UK Government said Aberdeen is one of its key growth regions to receive funding to build skills in the clean energy industry.
The funding will be used to identify the skills support needed in the North East to deliver Labour’s target of clean power by 2030.
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said: “As part of our plan for change, the UK Government is committed to supporting our world-class offshore workforce as we become a clean energy superpower.
“These new skills pilots in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire will help our oil and gas workers move into renewables jobs and follow our recent action to accelerate the skills passport.
“We are cutting red tape and giving workers the flexibility to move between industries and take advantage of the opportunities that the clean energy transition will provide.”
Katy Heidenreich, Offshore Energies UK’s director of supply chain and people, said the scheme would help oil and gas workers make informed decisions about their future.
She said: “As we build a homegrown low-carbon future, this passport can help them succeed in projects right across our diverse energy mix.
“We now look forward to working with policymakers to help unlock and enable the business investment we need for a new generation of good, high-value jobs and opportunities for firms and their people.”
Jane Cooper, Renewable UK’s executive director of offshore wind, added: “More than a hundred thousand people will be working in the UK’s offshore wind industry by 2030, mostly in highly skilled roles.
“To grow our world-class industry as fast as possible, we need the valuable experience that oil and gas workers can bring.
“The Energy Skills Passport which we’re launching today with our OEUK colleagues offers a gateway for people to make this transition by helping them to identify which offshore wind roles which would suit them best, and setting out in detail the training they will need to secure these new job opportunities.
“It’s a practical tool which demonstrates our determination to bring the tangible benefits of the energy transition to workers right across the energy sector”.
John Boland, chairman for the Offshore Co-ordinating Group of trade unions, welcomed the introduction of the skills passport but called for more action.
He said: “When fully developed, it has the potential to make it easier for workers to move between sectors, but on its own the skills passport is not going to achieve a just transition for offshore oil and gas workers.
“Urgent action is needed to protect offshore workers and supply chain jobs currently at risk from decommissioning.
“There needs to be a clear plan to safeguard incomes, trade union rights and safety standards.”
