The sufficiency and sustainability of safe, skilled workforces in the energy and utilities sector has never been a higher priority.
The Net Zero imperative, rapid technological developments, environmental pressures and instability in international markets all point to changing demands on workforces and their skills.
In the water industry, spending in the 2025-2030 period on the networks is expected to be double the previous period – around £100bn in total.
In waste, over 40 energy from waste sites are operating and more are expected to come.
The new Government is introducing a wide range of policies that will impact the sector:
- A new clean energy investment company, Great British Energy, with over £8bn to invest in clean energy over the next 5 years
- £1bn invested in carbon capture, and £500m in green hydrogen
- New nuclear to create thousands of skilled jobs
- Doubling onshore wind, trebling solar, and quadrupling offshore wind capacity
- Reinstating the 2030 ban on new internal combustion cars and vans
Ambitions in the devolved nations will also rely on a skilled workforce to deliver them:
- Northern Ireland aims to double its low carbon and renewable energy economy by 2030
- Scotland is investing in green energy and skills training for the future
- Wales aims for 100% renewable energy by 2035
Understanding the impacts on workforce and skills demands is essential if the sector is to rise to these challenges and maximise the opportunities they present.
These workforce estimates are key to Energy & Utility Skills’ work in ensuring that Government understands the skills needs of the sector and develops policy that works for the sector.
We have created a series of reports that contain estimates of the number of new jobs and people required across the UK energy and utilities sector by 2030:
- Energy and utilities sector (containing the aggregate analysis from across all five industry of the sector)
- Gas networks (including the manufacture, distribution and retail trade of gas through the networks)
- Gas utilisation (consisting of the domestic gas engineer workforce and related activities)
- Power (including the production (via seven different technologies), transmission, distribution and retail trade of electricity; the construction of electricity assets)
- Waste and recycling (including the collection, treatment, disposal and recycling of waste)
- Water (including the collection, treatment and supply of water; sewerage; the construction of water assets)