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Clean energy will bring 400,000 extra jobs by 2030, with high demand for roles including plumbers, electricians and welders.

Backed by record government and private sector investment in clean energy such as renewables and nuclear, the clean energy economy is sparking a boom in demand for good industrial jobs in all regions and nations of the UK – with 31 priority occupations such as plumbers, electricians, and welders particularly in demand. 

For the first time, government have published a comprehensive national plan to train up the next generation of clean energy workers, with employment expected to double to 860,000 by 2030, ensuring jobs are high quality and well paid.  

Setting clear workforce estimates for the first time will galvanise industry, the public sector, and education providers to work together to deliver one cohesive strategy to invest in training for specific in demand occupations. 

The Energy Secretary will also set out how this government sees trade unions as an essential part of the modern workplace and economy. Across the broader energy sector, trade union coverage has declined from over 70% in the mid 90’s to around 30% today. Recognising trade unions is vital to securing high pay and good conditions for workers. 

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said:  

Communities have long been calling out for a new generation of good industrial jobs. The clean energy jobs boom can answer that call - and today we publish a landmark national plan to make it happen.  

Our plans will help create an economy in which there is no need to leave your hometown just to find a decent job. Thanks to this government’s commitment to clean energy, a generation of young people in our industrial heartlands can have well-paid secure jobs, from plumbers to electricians and welders. 

This is a pro-worker, pro-jobs, pro-union, agenda that will deliver the national renewal our country needs.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Pat McFadden, said: 

We’re giving workers the skills needed for switch to clean energy, which is good for them, good for industry - and will drive growth across the nation. 

Our new jobs plan will unlock real opportunities and ensure everyone has access to the training and support to secure the well-paid jobs that will power our country’s future, as part of our Plan for Change.

The government’s clean energy mission is already delivering for the UK, with the certainty and stability of the government’s mission having galvanised over £50 billion of private investment since last July.  

The government has also given Sizewell C the green light, which will support 10,000 jobs at peak construction, announced Rolls Royce as the preferred bidder for the small modular reactor programme to support up to 3,000 jobs, and kickstarted the Acorn and the Viking projects in Scotland and the North East that is estimated to support a combined 35,000 jobs, including 1,000 apprenticeships. This builds on the 4,000 jobs already set to be created in CCUS projects in the North West and Teesside.  

For young people, these jobs can offer higher levels of pay- with entry level roles in the majority of occupations in clean energy paying 23% more than the same occupations in other sectors.  

Jobs in wind, nuclear, and electricity networks all advertise average salaries of over £50,000, compared to the UK average of £37,000, and are spread across coastal and post-industrial communities. 

New initiatives include: 

• Training up the next generation of clean energy workers - 5 new Technical Excellence Colleges will help train young people into essential roles. Skills pilots in Cheshire, Lincolnshire and Pembrokeshire will be backed by a total of £2.5 million – which could go towards new training centres, courses or career advisers
• Harnessing the valuable expertise and transferrable skills of veterans - Working with Mission Renewable, the government is launching a new programme to match veterans up with careers in solar panel installation, wind turbine factories, and nuclear power stations
• Tailored schemes for ex-offenders, school leavers, and the unemployed – Last year alone, 13,700 people who were out of work possessed many of the skills required for key roles in the clean energy sector, such as engineering and skilled trades
• Upskill existing workers - Oil and gas workers will benefit from up to £20 million in total from the UK and Scottish governments to provide bespoke careers training for thousands of new roles in clean energy. This follows high demand for the Aberdeen skills pilot, which is already supporting workers into new careers. Government is also extending the ‘energy skills passport’, which identifies routes for oil and gas workers to easily transition into roles in offshore wind, to new sectors including nuclear and the electricity grid

The plan also includes landmark proposals to ensure that jobs in the clean energy sector have world class pay, terms and conditions. 

• Closing loopholes in legislation to extend employment protections enjoyed by offshore oil and gas workers working beyond UK territorial seas, including the national minimum wage, to the clean energy sector
• A new Fair Work Charter between offshore wind developers and trade unions to ensure that companies benefiting from public funding provide decent wages and strong workplace rights
• Workforce criteria in grants and procurements to test and pilot innovative ways to drive fair work and skills in DESNZ grants and contracts, including through the Clean Industry Bonus and Great British Energy

It comes after the Prime Minister announced a package of reforms to elevate and transform the education skills system, with a new target for two-thirds of young people to participate in higher-level learning – academic, technical or apprenticeships – by age 25, up from 50% today. 

With at least 1 in 6 ex-military already armed with many of the skills needed for the clean energy sector, the government is joining forces with Mission Renewable to match them up with careers in solar panel installation, wind turbine factories, and nuclear power stations.   

The pilot will initially focus on the East of England, which will benefit from the biggest increase in the size of the clean energy workforce with over 60,000 people expected to be employed in the sector by the end of the decade.  

Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said: 

Wales’s growing clean energy industry is delivering the well-paid, highly-skilled jobs of the future. 

Projects right across the country from Pembrokeshire to Flintshire are creating opportunities for hundreds of our young people and will help drive regional growth as well as accelerating our drive towards lower bills and energy security.

Paul Nowak, General Secretary of the TUC, said:   

After years of previous governments starving British industry of investment, this represents a serious plan to start to rebuild our industrial heartlands and deliver quality jobs in clean energy - as well as supporting even more in supply chains right across the country.   

Crucially, it puts decent work at the heart of our energy system. And it shows that when government makes a plan with unions and workers, the whole country can benefit.   

Whether it’s welders in Wrexham or pipefitters on Teesside, the firm commitment to clean energy jobs being good union jobs is one which will improve working lives the country over.    

We now look forward to government delivering a similarly robust and funded plan for the North Sea transition, which safeguards jobs and livelihoods.

Charlotte Brumpton-Childs, National Officer at the GMB, said: 

GMB has long campaigned for a jobs first transition. The government is listening and having a jobs plan to underpin the industrial strategy is exactly what this country needs. 

GMB welcomes this roadmap for clean energy jobs and the cast iron expectation unions and their members will be at the heart of this. 

We need fair work agreements and taxpayers’ cash has to be spend where good jobs are going to be created. Today’s plan not only sets out that expectation but crucially, how good jobs can be measured.

Eddie Dempsey, General Secretary of the RMT, said: 

RMT welcomes the government’s commitment to closing loopholes in maritime and offshore employment law, which should in turn create domestic opportunities in coastal communities that support the entirety of the offshore wind supply chain. 

This plan has the potential to create hundreds of thousands of good jobs across the UK, offering real opportunities for those wishing to transition from oil and gas and for a new generation of workers in their own communities.

Christina McAnea, General Secretary of UNISON said:  

Clean, homegrown energy is essential in tackling climate change and delivering economic growth. This plan can help create a UK workforce with highly skilled, fairly paid and secure jobs. 

Extra investment for retraining will mean experienced staff already employed in the sector are able to take on new roles. Additional funding for apprenticeships and opportunities for young people are crucial too if the UK is to have a bright and clean energy future.

Alasdair McDiarmid, Assistant General Secretary of Community, said 

After long years of managed decline and neglect under previous governments, we now have an ambitious government which is serious about rebuilding Britain’s industrial base. Crucially, the government is also investing in the skills needed to power the future of British manufacturing - something Community has long called for.  

The push for new clean energy jobs will also support our members in both the light industries and steel sector, with steel being an essential component for green energy infrastructure and construction.  

We look forward to opportunities to collaborate with the government as they roll out this initiative across the UK, delivering for working people in the communities they live in.

Sue Ferns OBE, Senior Deputy General Secretary at Prospect, said: 

The infrastructure investment required to achieve the government’s clean energy mission must be backed by a major boost to jobs and skills. If this mission is to be a success, and support the wider industrial strategy and growth agendas, then we urgently need a step-change in the level of workforce development. In this context is it welcome that this Jobs Plan now exists and the new initiatives are a welcome step in the right direction.

Frances O’Grady, Former General Secretary of the TUC, said: 

Energy workers and their families are at the heart of this plan – showing the clean energy transition provides not just energy security but job security. 

Alongside this, it’s a promise that every pound of taxpayers’ money will be used to help create the decent apprenticeships,  jobs, and livelihoods that Britain needs.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said:

Well paid, secure work must be at the heart of any green transition. Unite members will welcome the commitment to 400,000 green jobs with strong collective bargaining rights. The actions set out in this plan are initial steps in what must be an ambitious strategy for tangible jobs, backed by an equally ambitious programme of public investment.

Chris O’Shea, Chief Executive of Centrica, said:  

We have committed to creating a new apprenticeship for every day of this decade. These new secure, skilled, well-paid jobs are key to unlocking the economic growth the UK so desperately needs.  

Clean energy isn’t simply about new technology – it’s about renewing purpose and harnessing the skills and infrastructure that have served us for decades to power the next chapter. 

I’m proud Centrica has the largest unionised workforce in UK energy and services, and we are delighted to welcome the government’s Clean Jobs Plan as a vital step in recognising the skills, protections and careers that must underpin the energy transition. 

Keith Anderson, CEO of ScottishPower, said: 

Thanks to the clear direction set out by the government’s Clean Power 2030 Mission, we’re investing at record levels in the clean electricity infrastructure the UK needs for energy security and economic growth. 

Our £24 billion investment plan is creating thousands of job opportunities. We’re recruiting for good, well-paid skilled jobs at record levels. We’re welcoming 300 new recruits in the last 3 months of 2025 alone and aim to bring on another 2,000 jobs up to 2027.  

Many of these jobs are in the communities that we serve in Scotland, England and Wales. This is on top of the benefits for local supply chain businesses across the country from our commitment to domestic procurement that currently supports 70,000 jobs in the UK supply chain.

EDF power solutions UK CEO Matthieu Hue said:  

We welcome the plan which brings clarity on the scale of the opportunity for people across the UK to work in high quality jobs which will contribute to our electric future.  

EDF power solutions has 2 GW of wind, solar and battery in operation and our goal is to have 5 times that amount by 2035, so we will need many more skilled people to help us reach our ambition.  

Our partnership with 4 trade unions, GMB, Prospect, Unison and Unite shows our commitment to working together with them to grow our business.

Darren Davidson, Vice President of Siemens Energy UK&I, said: 

Siemens Energy is a major employer in the UK with 6,500 workers at sites across the UK. We have taken on 140 new apprentices this autumn, and we currently have more than 200 active vacancies.  

The jobs plan announcement is welcome news, building on the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan that was launched at our Hull offshore wind blade factory.

Chris Norbury, CEO of E.ON UK, said:  

Clean power is a defining opportunity to grow the economy, strengthen energy security, and create skilled jobs that support communities nationwide. We welcome the Clean Energy Jobs Plan as a vital step towards building the workforce to realise that potential.  

We’re proud to already be delivering on this ambition by supporting around 800 people annually through our Net Zero Training Academy and wider skills initiatives, and welcoming over 1,300 apprentices across 100 programmes since 2018.  

Through partnerships with trade unions, schools, and local governments, we’re ensuring green jobs are good jobs, rooted in local communities with real progression, purpose, and opportunity. We look forward to working with government and industry to scale up this mission and ensure no region is left behind.

Michael Lewis, CEO Uniper said:  

We’re really pleased to see the launch of the Clean Energy Jobs Plan and the recommendations within it.  

Uniper aims to invest approximately €8 billion into growth and transformation projects by the early 2030s, including solar and onshore wind projects, hydrogen projects, and a new combined-cycle gas turbine power station with carbon capture technology at our Connah’s Quay site – contributing to the retention and creation of jobs, and supporting the regional economy.  

We recognise the need for workers to have the right skills now, and in the future, to support the UK’s and our own ambitions.

Zac Richardson, Group Chief Engineer at National Grid, said: 

Secure, affordable and clean energy is essential to unlocking UK economic growth and productivity – ambitions which are underpinned by electricity networks and the unprecedented levels of planned investment in them. 

We welcome the government’s focus on skills and training – especially for technical roles vital to our energy future – and look forward to working together to build a diverse, homegrown workforce that can deliver the grid of tomorrow.

Tania Kumar, Director of Net Zero at the CBI, said: 

The growth of the clean energy economy is creating opportunities for people and places across the whole of the UK. The launch of the Clean Energy Jobs Plan offers a tangible way to connect communities with both the opportunities emerging across the sector and the businesses at the forefront of delivering them. 

If we want people to feel invested in the transition and ensure they are able to participate in it, we must show them how they fit into the vision. This plan begins to do just that, laying out clear pathways no matter whether you’re in work, seeking employment or returning to the job market.

Dhara Vyas, CEO of Energy UK, said: 

Today’s announcement is a critical step forward in building the workforce required to deliver our future energy system. It rightly recognises the need to tackle the skills challenge collectively by investing in both new talent and our existing workforce.  

With up to 400,000 new jobs on the horizon and a clear focus on high-quality, inclusive opportunities, the Clean Energy Job Plan spotlights a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a cleaner, fairer energy system whose benefits will be felt by people and communities across the country.

Jane Cooper, Deputy Chief Executive at Renewable UK, said:  

The Clean Energy Jobs Plan sets out the scale of the massive opportunity which the UK has to create tens of thousands of new jobs in renewables all over the country.  

It includes practical measures which will enable government and industry to work even closer together to maximise this, such as opening new Technical Excellence Colleges, building on Britain’s current success as a global leader in clean power.  

This long-awaited plan delivers on employers’ calls for a coherent government workforce strategy for clean energy and we look forward to working with Ministers to realise its ambitions.

Katy Heidenreich Supply Chain and People Director at Offshore Energies UK, said:  

Investing in skills development is essential to support the UK’s energy sector and it is encouraging to see governments recognise the huge resource of our oil and gas workforce and how their skills can be developed to provide the expertise needed for the energy mix of the future.  

Oil and gas workers have a continuing role in powering the UK today and for years to come. A successful energy future—one that is increasingly homegrown—depends on supporting the industries and people delivering energy now, alongside growing capability across all technologies.

Claire Mack OBE, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, said: 

The clean power mission is not just about energy security for the country, it’s about good jobs and a workforce fit the future in your locale. The scale and importance of the energy transition requires new approaches to ensure investments in skills, apprenticeships and training serve the needs of the entire economy. 

Scotland is home to world-class energy skills expertise. Working with both governments, the clean energy industry can build on this through the breadth of projects coming forward today and in the years ahead. The Clean Energy Jobs Plan is an important signal to the public and private sectors of how we must quickly strengthen our partnership on jobs and skills.

Ben Martin, Policy Manager at the British Chambers of Commerce, said:&nb