Is the UK prepared for the increasing demand for Green Energy skills?

In the pursuit of sustainability and combating climate change, the world is transitioning towards renewable energy sources at an unprecedented rate.

The UK’s commitment to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 stands at the forefront of this green revolution. However, despite the ambitious targets set by the government, a significant hurdle looms large – the glaring shortage of green energy skills.

Statistics paint a concerning picture of the current state of green energy skills. According to a report by the National Grid, the country will need an additional 400,000 skilled workers by 2050 to meet its clean energy goals.

However, the talent pool falls short of this, with only 7% of the engineering workforce having skills relevant to renewable energy.

Carl Sutcliffe, Operations Director at ECTA Training, believes that the “race to net zero” needs to place a greater focus on training our engineers in new and essential green energy skills.

“We know that there’s a significant lack of skilled engineers qualified to fit the new technology required for a net zero future. There is a real need for boots on the ground to make this happen.

“Sole traders, SMEs and large employers working in the utilities and energy sectors are struggling to find those that are suitably qualified, so should be upskilling their existing workforce with green and renewable technologies in mind.

“The gas engineer of today could be the hydrogen engineer of tomorrow. Your local tradesman could be fitting a new air source heat pump, not servicing your boiler.”

In our latest insight paper, we look at how the green energy skills gap can be bridged, with education and training, industry collaboration and incentives to encourage both employers and engineers to upskill and future-proof their careers and the industry.