Green jobs: Offshore energy industry develops ‘energy skills passports’ plan

Energy industry leaders have developed a plan to create an “energy skills passport” that would help offshore workers transition from oil and gas extraction to jobs in the clean energy sector.

In a statement this morning, industry bodies representing the UK’s offshore wind and oil and gas sectors – RenewableUK and Offshore Energies UK – said they had “agreed a roadmap” for a prototype Energy Skills Passport that would enable “cross-sector recognition” of expertise and training in the energy industry .

The project aims to better align technical qualifications and safety standards across both industries, create clearer career paths and establish a mechanism for employers and employees to understand recognized standards.

Government, trade unions and trade and skills bodies have contributed to the program, which is a cross-sector partnership led by Offshore Energies UK, Renewable UK, skills not-for-profit OPITO and the Global Wind Organisation.

Jane Cooper, executive director of offshore wind at RenewableUK, said the industry body was “strongly committed to facilitating the transfer of workers from different parts of the energy sector to renewables”.

“Offshore wind companies must attract oil and gas workers to our sector with valuable experience and skills that can be leveraged into the future,” she said. “We will continue to work with many partners and collaborators from other organizations to achieve this, enabling highly skilled people to find new career opportunities in the clean energy transition.”

Plans to introduce an Energy Skills Passport are set out in both the North Sea Transformation Agreement and the Offshore Wind Sector Agreement between the energy industry and the UK Government.

Energy industry leaders argue that a new framework for recognizing specialist maritime infrastructure expertise is required to ensure clean energy jobs are filled by UK workers with the right skills from a range of sectors.

Offshore wind jobs are expected to grow from 32,000 today to more than 100,000 by the end of the decade as more clean generation capacity comes online. Meanwhile, UK oil and gas production has seen a steady decline in recent years, with Scottish Government figures showing that jobs in the Scottish oil and gas sector fell by 36 per cent between 2015 and 2021.

The current government has promised to try to maximize production by issuing new licenses for oil and gas drilling. However, Labor has said that if it wins the upcoming election it will stop issuing new licenses in line with the recommendations of climate scientists and the international agreement to phase out fossil fuels.

Partners said the Skills Passport project has already led to the provision of career pathway information for over 30 roles in the oil and gas industry, as well as a range of entry routes into roles in the wind sector, including maintenance technicians, commissioning technicians, senior high voltage handlers and troubleshooting technicians.

OPITO and GWO plan to finalize career paths for “highest priority roles” in the offshore wind sector, which would allow workers to determine the qualifications and training they need to pursue, the groups say.

The industry-led project is funded by a £3.7 million grant awarded to OPITO from the Scottish Government’s Just Transition Fund.

Scottish Climate Minister Gillian Martin welcomed the progress made by the industry on the Offshore Skills Passport. “Our valued and highly skilled offshore energy workforce play a key role in the transition to renewables and the Passport will play an important role in supporting this process,” she said. “We call on industry partners to further develop and rapidly implement this initiative.”

Katy Heidenreich, director of supply chain and people at Offshore Energy UK, said the UK’s “exceptional” offshore workforce will be crucial to delivering the energy transition.

“Creating a skills passport will help make the most of workers’ experience and capabilities, while ensuring that jobs and communities are preserved across the country,” he said. “A skilled future, secure energy and a sustainable path to net zero – this is what our people represent. This is what our people can deliver with the right support and cross-sector mobility.”

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