Young people will be trained to fill thousands of green energy jobs and apprenticeships needed to deliver clean power by 2030 as part of the government’s plans to get Britain working and unlock growth. 

Energy secretary Ed Miliband told industry, unions and trade bodies that the government will work with them to build a “clean power army” to hit ambitious targets for green energy by 2030 at a forum convened with the work and pensions secretary today (7 April).

National Grid plans to support around 55,000 more jobs by the end of the decade, and SSE Transmission will support a further 37,000 jobs, around half of which will be in Scotland.

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Scottish Power’s SP Energy Networks division plans to double its transmission workforce to create around 1,400 jobs and support a further 11,000 jobs across the UK. All three plans are subject to approval by the regulator.

Miliband said: “The energy sector has always been a source of good, skilled, and unionised jobs for young people across the UK, providing secure, well-paid employment for life.

“To meet our target to reach clean power by 2030, we need a clean power army of engineers, welders and technicians – giving thousands of young people the opportunity to play a vital role in tackling the climate crisis, increasing our energy security and boosting the economy to deliver our Plan for Change.”

Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall said: “With almost a million young people neither earning nor learning, it is vital that we give this generation the tools they need to seize the opportunity that is the clean energy transition.

“Our plan to Get Britain Working will overhaul employment support, giving everyone the tools and skills they need to, and build a stronger, more prosperous future for them and their families.”

The government is running a “regional skills pilot” scheme in the clean energy sector. Aberdeen, Cheshire, Lincolnshire and Pembrokeshire have all been identified as key growth regions for clean energy.

Local partners will receive funding to identify the skills support needed in their area to deliver clean power by 2030. Funding could go towards new training centres, courses or career advisers – supporting local people into opportunities in industries such as welding, electrical engineering, and construction.

Thousands of new, skilled jobs are being supported in the North East as contracts for the first “carbon capture, usage and storage” (CCUS) programme were signed in December, following a £22bn commitment from the government. It has also invested £55 million in the Port of Cromarty Firth, to transform it into a major hub for the UK’s world-leading floating offshore wind industry, creating hundreds of skilled jobs and generating growth.

The latest CBI Economics figures show jobs supported by net-zero sectors increased by 10% last year, with the average annual wage across the sector at £43,000 – £5,600 higher than the national average.

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