£1.2m training network for renewables industry launches
Green training news – by GreenWise staff
6th October 2011
A new £1.2 million training network has been established to address the growing skills shortages in the renewable energy industry.
The
Renewables Training Network (RTN), jointly funded by business and Government, aims to train 2,000 people over the next two years. It will target those already working in the
energy industry to retrain to work in the
wind,
wave and
tidal sectors, where tens of thousands of new jobs are expected to be created over the next decade.
Businesses in the
renewables sector have pledged the equivalent of £600,000 of support for the £1.2 million project, while the Government’s Growth and Innovation Fund has awarded £580,000 to the initative. It will be run by trade body RenewableUK in collaboration with the National Skills Academy for Power.
The wind and marine energy sector already supports 10,600 jobs and RenewableUK said the RTN would pave the way for over 77,500 jobs in the UK wind, wave and tidal industry and supply chain within next 10 years.
"The renewable energy industry is one of the fastest growing areas of the economy, and this initiative is essential to ensure that growth can continue – and that people from a diverse set of backgrounds can make the most of the enormous job opportunities," said Maria McCaffery, chief executive of RenewableUK.
Emphasis on re-skilling
The RTN will help deliver new courses, tutors and institutions and will emphasise sector specific training for those looking to re-skill, rather than new graduates.
"Over recent years there has been an emphasis on apprentices, college and university graduates and how we bring them into the industry. This is great, but it’s only a part of the solution. We need to give experienced people who are currently working in related industries help to access the opportunities renewables presents," said Steve Davies, chief executive, the National Skills Academy for Power.
The RTN is being backed by companies such as DONG Energy, RES and RWE npower Renewables and Alstom, as well trade unions.
"This initiative is a great example of what can be achieved by collaboration across our fast-developing industry," Gary Robinson, group head of HR at RES said. "The inevitable shortage of people with the right mix of skills and experience in critical disciplines threatens our ability to meet the challenging targets we are all facing. The RTN will have a significant impact on our ability to plug this skills gap".
Next week, the Government is expected to publish its Skills for a Green Economy, in which it will set out its strategy on green skills.
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