DWP Secretary Liz Kendall and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband have joined forces to back a ‘clean power army’ of jobs that are to be created to deliver clean power by 2030
Young people will be trained as engineers, welders and technicians in a major push to skill people up in the green energy industry.
A “clean power army” of jobs and apprenticeships are expected to be created as part of plans to deliver clean power by 2030. DWP Secretary Liz Kendall and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband have joined forces to tackle both the issue of climate change and too many young people being out of work.
The pair will on Monday meet with energy bosses to understand how they can “build and train the workforce of the future”. Around 55,000 more jobs will be created by the end of the decade through plans to reform the National Grid alone.
The Government is driving forward with Regional Skills Pilots in the clean energy sector in Aberdeen, Cheshire, Lincolnshire and Pembrokeshire. Local partners will receive funding that could go towards new training centres, courses or career advisers to support local people into industries such as welding, electrical engineering and construction.
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Jobs supported by net zero sectors increased by 10% last year, with the average annual wage across the sector at £43,000 – £5,600 higher than the national average, according to the latest Confederation of British Industry Economics figures.
It comes as the Labour government has faced criticism after announcing major welfare reforms last month, which included cutting sickness and disability benefits for some of Britain’s most vulnerable. But their plans to help more people get back to work are largely encouraged amid one in eight young people not being in education, employment or training.
The government launched its Get Britain Working white paper late last year, outlining the biggest employment reforms in a generation including reforming Jobcentres and creating a Youth Guarantee, which supports 18 to 21 year olds to access education, training, work or an apprenticeship. Ministers have also launched Skills England and the Office for Clean Energy Jobs to bring together key partners to meet the skills needs of the next decade across all regions.
At a forum with industry, unions and trade bodies today, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband is expected to say: “The energy sector has always been a source of good, skilled, and unionised jobs for young people across the UK, providing secure, well-paid employment for life.
“To meet our target to reach clean power by 2030, we need a clean power army of engineers, welders and technicians – giving thousands of young people the opportunity to play a vital role in tackling the climate crisis, increasing our energy security and boosting the economy to deliver our Plan for Change.”
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall is expected to say: “With almost a million young people neither earning nor learning it is vital that we give this generation the tools they need to seize the opportunity that is the clean energy transition. Our plan to Get Britain Working will overhaul employment support, giving everyone the tools and skills they need to and build a stronger, more prosperous future for them and their families.”
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