The UK’s clean energy revolution is poised to create a record-breaking 400,000 new clean energy jobs by 2030, doubling the size of the current workforce and transforming the nation’s industrial landscape.
Backed by major government and private investment, this boom is fuelling demand for skilled workers across every corner of the country – from electricians and plumbers to welders and engineers.
UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband explained: “Communities have long been calling out for a new generation of good industrial jobs. The clean energy jobs boom can answer that call – and we are publishing 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.
“This is a pro-worker, pro-jobs, pro-union agenda that will deliver the national renewal our country needs.”
Green jobs boom backed by record investment
Driven by the government’s clean energy mission, more than £50bn in private investment has flowed into the sector since last July.
Projects like the Sizewell C nuclear plant, which will support up to 10,000 clean energy jobs at peak construction, and the Rolls-Royce small modular reactor programme, expected to create 3,000 roles, are at the forefront of this industrial resurgence.
The government’s green light for carbon capture projects such as Acorn in Scotland and Viking in the North East adds a further 35,000 jobs, including 1,000 apprenticeships.
Combined with ongoing carbon capture, usage and storage initiatives in the North West and Teesside, the clean energy sector is fast becoming one of the UK’s largest sources of industrial employment.
National strategy to train the next generation
For the first time, the UK Government will publish a comprehensive national plan to train the next generation of clean energy workers.
This landmark workforce strategy aims to ensure that the 860,000 jobs expected by 2030 are not only plentiful, but also high-quality and well-paid.
At the heart of this plan are five new Technical Excellence Colleges, dedicated to equipping young people with the skills needed for careers in renewables, nuclear, and advanced energy systems.
Pilot schemes in Cheshire, Lincolnshire and Pembrokeshire – worth a combined £2.5 million – will support new training centres, courses and career advice.
Education providers, industry leaders and local authorities will collaborate under one cohesive framework, aligning skills training with real-world demand in 31 priority occupations, including welders, electricians and engineers.
Empowering veterans, ex-offenders and oil & gas workers
A series of tailored initiatives aims to open clean energy jobs to a wider workforce. In partnership with Mission Renewable, the government is launching a veterans’ transition programme, matching ex-service members with roles in wind, solar and nuclear energy.
For ex-offenders, school leavers and the unemployed, targeted schemes will provide training pathways into skilled energy roles – tapping into a pool of over 13,000 people who already possess relevant skills from previous industries.
Meanwhile, workers from traditional oil and gas backgrounds will benefit from up to £20m in retraining funds.
The successful Aberdeen skills pilot is being expanded nationwide, alongside the extension of the Energy Skills Passport, helping offshore workers seamlessly transfer into clean energy roles such as offshore wind and grid maintenance.
Better pay and fairer work in the clean energy economy
Clean energy jobs are not only plentiful – they’re lucrative. Entry-level roles in this sector pay 23% more than equivalent positions elsewhere, while jobs in wind, nuclear and grid infrastructure offer average salaries exceeding £50,000, compared to the UK’s national average of £37,000.
The government’s new Fair Work Charter, developed with trade unions, will guarantee strong pay, secure contracts and safe conditions for all workers in the clean energy industry.
In addition, new legislation will extend employment protections, including the National Minimum Wage, to offshore clean energy workers beyond UK territorial waters.
These measures underscore a renewed commitment to ensuring that the clean energy transition delivers prosperity and dignity for every worker.
Building a future-ready workforce
As demand for skilled labour surges, the government has pledged to restore trade unions’ role as key partners in shaping modern workplaces.
With union membership in the energy sector down from 70% in the 1990s to around 30% today, ministers see collaboration as vital to securing fair pay and good conditions across the industry.
The UK’s clean energy transformation also aligns with broader education reforms announced by the Prime Minister, setting a target for two-thirds of young people to engage in higher-level learning – whether academic, technical or through apprenticeships – by age 25.
Powering Britain’s clean energy future
From the industrial heartlands of Teesside to the coastal wind farms of the East of England, where 60,000 people are expected to be employed in the sector by 2030, the clean energy revolution is reshaping Britain’s economic future.
As investment accelerates, opportunities expand, and pay rises, the UK is positioning itself as a global leader in clean energy jobs – delivering not just a net-zero future, but a fairer, more prosperous one for all.
