Developing skills for the Energy Industry

The UK Government is considering a proposal from Edinburgh West MP Christine Jardine to encourage young people to develop the skills vital for the future of the energy industry.

It follows a meeting with energy minister Andrew Bowie where Christine raised concerns about the danger of a skills gap if young people are not encouraged into the energy industry.

There is a growing concern that the number of applications for energy-related higher education courses is falling behind what is required to deliver renewables at pace.

Christine said: "I was delighted to sit down with Andrew and talk about our ideas for ensuring that we continue to develop the skills we need for a just transition to renewables.

"Too often in our recent industrial history we have failed to recognise where skills can be transferred from a sector in decline to an area of growth.

"So many of the skills and qualifications in offshore oil and gas will be crucial to developing other energy sectors that we must encourage young people to study areas like geosciences and engineering.

“There is so much untapped talent, especially among young women and girls, in the STEM subjects. 

“We need to make sure that we are providing assurances so young people know they can be confident in pursuing a career in the energy sector now, that will give them the skills to transition into new sectors.

“It is all about motivating talented people with the prospect of making a meaningful difference to the green energy transition.

“If we don’t act now, we risk facing a chronic skills shortage just at the time when we will need the expertise of the oil and gas sector to power forward to a greener future.”