Scotland will need twice as many qualified electricians as it has today if the nation is to build the low-carbon infrastructure required for a successful transition to net zero.
That’s according to Professor Sean Smith, Director of the Centre for Future Infrastructure at the Edinburgh Futures Institute, who made the comment during a recent episode of the Sparks Remarks podcast from industry body SELECT. Smith warned that recruitment and upskilling must accelerate rapidly to keep pace with Scotland’s booming renewables pipeline – but stressed that those entering or advancing within the trade will find “unprecedented” opportunity at home and abroad.
He noted, “The number of people currently studying electrical engineering or to become an electrician is up across the sector, and you could probably fill our universities and colleges twice over, which is great.
“But do we need more? Yes, probably double the number really, which rather begs the question: Do we need to expand our facilities and resources to meet that demand?
“Part of the hurdle is also to make sure we make people aware of the scale of work on offer because the consideration of just how much is coming for the sector is unprecedented; never before in its history has there been such a pathway of work to come.
“It has taken the last 90 years to create the electricity system we now enjoy, but to meet the transition away from fossil fuels we’ll need to build at least five times the amount of infrastructure in the next 20 to 25 years, so the opportunities are really exciting.
“Probably no other sector has had such an opportunity to make such a transitional national change that affects all our lives. And so it’s really exciting for the entire electrical sector of what’s to come and the role it will play; it’s absolutely fundamental and is just tremendous.
“However, to create the infrastructure that we need going forward, like EVs and charging points, there are some significant issues with current grid capacity, and particularly when we look at localised sub-stations, particularly across the Central Belt.”
How the industry could be reframed
Professor Smith – who also serves as Chair of Future Construction in the University of Edinburgh’s School of Engineering – urged colleges, government and industry to view electrical qualifications as ‘a passport’ offering both domestic security and global mobility.
“We need to encourage many of our workforce, particularly young people, to see our industry as a golden travel ticket, so once you become an electrician or electrical engineer you can move anywhere.
“I myself worked in Canada, Italy and Germany so I’d certainly encourage other people to travel and work overseas to see other cultures and how things operate.
“Obviously we’d love them to return too, so hopefully in the future they can bring that knowledge back with them and make good use of it in the homeland.”
Infrastructure first, culture change next
While soaring demand for low-carbon heat, EV charge points and energy storage systems is creating a once-in-a-generation workload, the professor cautioned that public confidence and grid upgrades must develop in tandem.
“People want more confidence and less stress, such as range anxiety and want to know that there will be charging points not only installed but reliably working. So that’s another opportunity for the sector to intervene and support that.
“Across the UK, 75% of charging points are in private households, with only 25% in public locations, so we need to ramp that up. To do that, we again need to look at substations because we have the renewable power but need to amplify the infrastructure to support it.”
He concluded that affordability cannot be overlooked as Scotland races to decarbonise, “The thing with new technologies and all new systems is that they can take a bit of time to bed in, but there have certainly been better technologies coming through that make things more efficient
“However, we need to make things more cost effective because we can’t leave people behind. We need society to come with us as this is their future as much as it is the industry’s.”
With Holyrood aiming for a net zero power system by 2030 and economy-wide carbon neutrality by 2045, Professor Smith’s warning arrives at a pivotal moment for policymakers, training providers and businesses alike. For Scotland’s current and future electricians, however, the message is unequivocal: sharpen your skills and a wealth of work awaits.
