Powering up the energy sector’s skills strategy

The Energy sector is one of the most critical industries in the country and has dominated headlines in recent months – how is the sector evolving and what opportunities can a career in the sector offer?

09 November 2022

The role of the energy sector has always been vital, but recent months have seen it dominating headlines as costs have risen and the need for a shift towards renewables has become ever more apparent.

The government have laid out ambitious plans to expand hydrogen, offshore wind, and nuclear power in the UK. Government plans for growing the hydrogen sector will see the creation of 8000 new jobs, while the offshore wind sector will need 60,000 by 2030. Clearly, there is an urgent need to attract more people into the energy industry, both from young people entering the workforce and older workers transitioning from the fossil fuel sector and other industries with transferable skills.

However, the sector continues to experience acute and ongoing skills shortages and the challenges of an aging workforce, with 29% of the energy workforce over the age of 50. While jobs in energy can often come with high salaries, many people feel that they lack the necessary skills and experience to enter the field, as well as a lack of understanding of the roles available.

Solving this skills shortage will mean increasing awareness of the routes into careers in this sector, the transferable skills that can be applied and reaching out to new talent pools.

In the latest episode of our Great Jobs podcast, City & Guilds Managing Director Craig Smith had a conversation with RenewableUK Deputy Chief Executive Melanie Onn, to find out more about how the energy sector is taking action to address the skills shortage and the wide range of roles that a career in energy can offer.

You can listen to the podcast and download a copy of our Energy report, focusing on the sector using our Great Jobs Report research.