The UK Government has published its first Clean Energy Jobs Plan, with it projecting that total clean energy employment will double to around 860,000 by 2030. That means it’s hoping to create around 400,000 clean energy jobs in the next five years, with its plan identifying 31 priority occupations.
The Clean Energy Jobs Plan sets workforce estimates, training routes and fair-work requirements intended to align government, industry and education providers behind a single skills pipeline. The priority roles that have been identified include plumbers, electricians and welders, reflecting a boom in renewables, networks and nuclear projects across all UK regions.
There’s no doubt that the clean energy sector in the UK is booming, but 400,000 new jobs in five years is a lofty goal – albeit the one the UK Government is confident it can achieve. That confidence comes from what ministers say has been record public and private investment in the sector since July 2024, citing decisions such as giving Sizewell C the green light, naming Rolls-Royce the preferred bidder for the small modular reactor programme, and kick-starting the Acorn and Viking carbon capture clusters.
It also was confident that if its plan creates the right skills pipeline, then it should attract a wealth of candidates – highlighting how the industry’s advertised average salaries are typically above £50,000 in wind, nuclear and electricity networks, versus a UK average of £37,000. Ministers also noted how even entry-level roles in most clean energy occupations pay around 23% more than comparable jobs in other sectors.
What’s in the plan
It’s all well and good looking to create 400,000 jobs in the next five years, but it’ll be vitally important that those roles are filled. So, what’s in the plan to improve the skills pipeline?
Well, key measures include:
- Five new clean energy Technical Excellence Colleges to train young people into essential roles, alongside skills pilots in Cheshire, Lincolnshire and Pembrokeshire backed by £2.5 million.
- A veterans pathway with Mission Renewable will match ex-service personnel to roles in solar, wind manufacturing and nuclear sites.
- Tailored schemes will target ex-offenders, school leavers and the unemployed, with government analysis identifying thousands with relevant engineering and skilled-trade experience.
- For workers transitioning from oil and gas, the UK and Scottish governments will provide up to £20 million for bespoke careers training, building on the Aberdeen pilot, and will extend the ‘energy skills passport’ beyond offshore wind to nuclear and the electricity grid.
- The plan proposes closing legal loopholes so employment protections enjoyed by offshore oil and gas workers beyond UK territorial seas, including the national minimum wage, apply across clean energy.
- A new Fair Work Charter between offshore wind developers and trade unions aims to tie public funding to decent wages and strong workplace rights. Workforce criteria will also be tested in grants and procurements run by DESNZ and arms-length bodies such as Great British Energy.
- There will be a regional focus under the Clean Energy Jobs Plan. The East of England is set for the largest increase in clean energy employment, with over 60,000 people expected to be working in the sector by 2030. Officials say coastal and post-industrial communities will see a concentration of roles as networks expand and major generation projects move forward.
Commenting on the Government’s plan, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, noted, “Communities have long been calling out for a new generation of good industrial jobs. The clean energy jobs boom can answer that call – and today we publish a landmark national plan to make it happen.
“Our plans will help create an economy in which there is no need to leave your hometown just to find a decent job. Thanks to this government’s commitment to clean energy, a generation of young people in our industrial heartlands can have well-paid secure jobs, from plumbers to electricians and welders.
“This is a pro-worker, pro-jobs, pro-union, agenda that will deliver the national renewal our country needs.”
Industry reaction
With the quest to decarbonise ongoing, there’s never been a better time to work in the clean energy sector – but having a robust pipeline of skilled professionals has always been a challenge. Earlier this year, Andrew Eldred, Chief Operating Officer at the Electrical Contractors’ Association, warned that without urgent action to train and retain skilled electricians, Britain’s decarbonisation goals may slip beyond reach. Since then, the ECA has backed the Welsh Government’s Green Skills Plan, and while we await the ECA’s direct reaction to the Clean Energy Jobs Plan, the reaction from across the industry has been positive thus far.
Zac Richardson, Group Chief Engineer at National Grid, noted, “Secure, affordable and clean energy is essential to unlocking UK economic growth and productivity – ambitions which are underpinned by electricity networks and the unprecedented levels of planned investment in them.
“We welcome the government’s focus on skills and training – especially for technical roles vital to our energy future – and look forward to working together to build a diverse, homegrown workforce that can deliver the grid of tomorrow.”
Dhara Vyas, CEO of Energy UK, added, “Today’s announcement is a critical step forward in building the workforce required to deliver our future energy system. It rightly recognises the need to tackle the skills challenge collectively by investing in both new talent and our existing workforce.
“With up to 400,000 new jobs on the horizon and a clear focus on high-quality, inclusive opportunities, the Clean Energy Job Plan spotlights a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a cleaner, fairer energy system whose benefits will be felt by people and communities across the country.”
Jane Cooper, Deputy Chief Executive at Renewable UK, concluded, “The Clean Energy Jobs Plan sets out the scale of the massive opportunity which the UK has to create tens of thousands of new jobs in renewables all over the country.
“It includes practical measures which will enable government and industry to work even closer together to maximise this, such as opening new Technical Excellence Colleges, building on Britain’s current success as a global leader in clean power.
“This long-awaited plan delivers on employers’ calls for a coherent government workforce strategy for clean energy and we look forward to working with Ministers to realise its ambitions.”
Delivery now hinges on colleges, employers and unions turning pathways into placements at pace, and on funding certainty across UK and devolved budgets. If the training capacity, labour standards and regional pipelines land together, the headline promise of 400,000 additional clean energy jobs by 2030 looks achievable; if not, the skills gap will remain the sector’s rate-limiting factor.
