The First Minister has opened Scotland’s largest energy transition skills hub as he announced a £450,000 funding boost to get more oil and gas workers into renewables.
The hub in Aberdeen is expected to support over 1,000 people from the North East and beyond into roles in sustainable energy over the next five years.
The £450,000 investment will mean an additional 100 offshore oil and gas workers will be able to access support to help them upskill and reskill into the sustainable energy sector.
The fund, a joint Scottish Government and UK Government initiative, is in response to demand from oil and gas workers who have called for urgent action after warnings that tens of thousands of jobs could be lost in the energy sector if more support isn’t provided.
A report in June warned the industry could lose up to 400 jobs every two weeks for the next five years unless action is taken.
Following the announcement, John Swinney spoke with STV News in the Aberdeen studio to highlight the Scottish Government’s commitment to supporting workers in the North East.
Swinney told STV News: “The announcement today and the opening of the Energy Transition Skills Hub is a step an illustration of the commitment that we have to support in the North East of Scotland economy as we manage the transition from the dominance of oil and gas to the new energy futures for Scotland.
“But I recognise this is one aspect of our investment that’s got to be a sustained commitment over a long period of time and I gave that commitment when I was in the North East of Scotland today.”
STV NewsEnergy secretary Gillian Martin added: “The North East has long been a titan in the oil and gas industry and it is only right we support the talented and skilled workforce to move into new roles in the evolving sustainable energy sector.”
The First Minister said on Monday that he wants people to see the new skills hub as a “place of welcome” to develop new skills that will lead to new opportunities for people who are already involved in oil and gas sector.
“That is nature of transition we have to make sure happens – that we are able to provide new opportunities, new prospects, and new possibilities for people already involved in oil and gas sectors,” Swinney said.
“They need to see what the future looks like and we have to be able to deliver that for them. That is why this hub is so fundamental to that process.”
Maggie McGinlay, CEO of ETZ Limited, one of the partners involved in bringing the hub to life, said it will be the “go to place for energy transition activity in the UK”.
“It’s so important because as we’re moving from oil and gas and decommissioning into new opportunities, such as offshore wind, hydrogen, and carbon capture storage, we need to make sure we have a skilled workforce,” she said.
“So we need to be investing in training now, to ensure young people have the skills needed, but also to provide opportunities for people to upskill and reskill as needed.”
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