Net-Zero Skills – Jobs, skills and training for the net-zero energy transition
This briefing paper investigates the evidence for Net-Zero job skills and training requirements in the UK’s energy system. Through an extensive literature review and 10 expert interviews, it analyses how the skills landscape is adapting to support the growth of low-carbon energy sectors, including both supply and end-use. The paper identifies ongoing barriers and opportunities for expanding low-carbon job competencies, culminating in a set of policy recommendations to create clear, inclusive training pathways into low-carbon energy jobs.
Using three sectoral case studies, the paper investigates challenges and opportunities for improving skills and training supply and demand for low-carbon energy careers. The building energy retrofit sector faces a significant shortage of skilled workers, particularly in heat pump installation, energy efficiency measures, retrofit coordination, and digital roles. Despite the potential to create 120,000–230,000 new jobs by 2030, inconsistent policies and funding have hindered private investment in training. The offshore wind sector is forecast to employ over 100,000 workers in 2030, compared to 32,000 in 2022. Offshore wind struggles with skills gaps in electrical, digital, consenting, and marine roles, relying on experienced workers and those from other industries to fill these gaps. The electric vehicles sector could generate at least 80,000 new jobs over the next 10-15 years, contingent on gigafactory development, with key skills needed in charging point installation, vehicle recycling, battery manufacturing, and electrification engineering.
The paper concludes by proposing the establishment of a Net-Zero Skills Commission to co-ordinate a new, national Net-Zero skills strategy involving multiple stakeholders and considering regional, local and sectoral needs. The Commission would review existing occupational standards for Net-Zero jobs, analyse and identify ongoing and emerging skills gaps, and provide expert advice on improving training and education pathways.
Additional recommendations include: the reviewing of financing mechanisms to better support green job training, with additional public funding for FE colleges and SMEs to provide this, increasing the flexibility and geographical distribution of courses, improving public awareness of green job opportunities and career pathways, increasing workforce diversity through inclusive recruitment practices and more detailed labour market monitoring, and providing ready access to high-quality re-skilling programmes for those working in high-carbon industries which will need to be phased down.
Co-Authors
Kaylen Camacho McCluskey is a Research Assistant at the Energy Futures Lab. She recently graduated from a Master’s in Environmental Technology at Imperial College London, where her dissertation explored health as a policy driver for energy efficient renovations in owner-occupied households. She also holds a BA in English Literature, with a specialisation in ecocriticism, from the University of Warwick.
Dr. Richard Hanna is a Research Associate at the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London. He carries out systematic evidence reviews for the UK Energy Research Centre and specialises in topics related to energy technology innovation and international low carbon heating policy. He recently completed a review of the international evidence on net job creation in renewable energy and energy efficiency. Richard completed his PhD at the University of Surrey in 2013, examining the influence of installer businesses on the rate of microgeneration uptake and on installation standards in the UK.
Dr Aidan Rhodes is a Research Fellow based at Imperial College London. He is currently Energy Policy Briefing Papers Fellow at the Energy Futures Lab, working on preparing a range of accessible briefing papers on topics of relevance to energy sector policymakers and stakeholders. Previously, he was part of the Energy Strategy Fellowship team for the UK Research Councils, which was tasked with creating a prospectus of future skills, research and training needs for the UK energy sector, as well as carrying out a large-scale research project on comparing the effectiveness of national energy innovation systems across the world. Aidan has also been Knowledge Exchange Associate at the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC), where he carried out a wide range of activities aimed at connecting and facilitating UK and international energy research efforts.
Panellists
Dr Pauline Anderson is Senior Lecturer and Direction of Knowledge Exchange at Strathclyde Business School’s Department for Work, Employment and Society (WEO). Prior to moving into academia, she worked in the public and third sectors for over 15 years, and her research has a strong policy focus.
Her research expertise lies in the broad area of skills, jobs and working life – particularly the future of work, the digital and green transitions, skill ecosystems, job quality, changing work locations, labour market and education/training developments and issues. Pauline’s current research focuses on green jobs, green skills and a ‘just’ transition to net zero, and she serves on the Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan (CESAP) Implementation Steering Group.
Damian Whittard is an Associate Professor in the Practice of Economics. His research focuses on the core areas of economic measurement, labour markets, sustainability and pedagogy, with particular interest in exploring the intersection between data, policy and practice. He is a member of two research groups based at the University of the West of England – the Data Research, Access and Governance Network Research Group and the Sustainable Economies Research Group. He is a Research Fellow with Administrative Data UK (ADR UK), leading a project looking at green jobs and labour market inequalities. Damian also leads the £1.5 million Wage and Employment Dynamics (WED) Programme, which is creating a national wage and employment data spine. The Economic and Social Research Council/ADR UK funded project links administrative data sources together, making them available to academic and government researchers as a public good
Dr Aurélien Saussay is an Assistant Professorial Research Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. He joined the Institute in September 2019. His research focuses on the economic consequences of the transition to a low carbon economy, in order to identify the social and political acceptance challenges that hamper the implementation of effective decarbonisation.
About Energy Futures Lab
Energy Futures Lab is one of seven Global Institutes at Imperial College London. The institute was established to address global energy challenges by identifying and leading new opportunities to serve industry, government and society at large through high quality research, evidence and advocacy for positive change. The institute aims to promote energy innovation and advance systemic solutions for a sustainable energy future by bringing together the science, engineering and policy expertise at Imperial and fostering collaboration with a wide variety of external partners.
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