Clean energy jobs boom to create 15,000 new roles across Wales by 2030
Clean energy jobs boom to create 15,000 new roles across Wales by 2030
Subscribe to the Businessin Wales daily newsletter for FREE here.
Wales is set to benefit from a surge in clean energy employment, with more than 15,000 new jobs expected to be created across the country by 2030, under plans unveiled by the UK Government this week.
The announcement forms part of the UK’s first-ever national clean energy workforce plan, which sets out how the country will recruit and train workers needed to deliver its clean energy “superpower” mission.
Backed by record levels of public and private investment, the plan aims to double employment in the clean energy sector to 860,000 jobs by the end of the decade—including up to 20,000 roles in Wales.
Thirty-one occupations, from plumbers and electricians to welders and engineers, have been identified as critical to powering the transition. A new network of five Technical Excellence Colleges will be created to train the next generation of workers, with Pembrokeshire among the locations chosen to host one of the first pilot sites.
The Welsh pilot, backed by part of a £2.5 million UK Government fund, will support local communities with new training centres, courses, and careers advice to help people access clean energy jobs.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said Wales would play a pivotal role in the green transition.
He said: “Wales is essential to the clean energy revolution that this government is delivering. Communities across Wales 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.”
The clean energy boom is already taking shape in Wales, with major projects such as HyNet CCUS—a carbon capture and storage initiative supporting jobs in North Wales, Cheshire, and Flintshire—and the Mona Offshore Wind Farm off the Welsh coast, which is set to provide around 3,500 jobs over its lifetime.
Jo Stevens, Secretary of State for Wales, said the sector was fast becoming a cornerstone of regional growth.
She 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.”
The jobs are expected to span a wide range of trades and professions, from bricklayers and metalworkers to engineers and energy technicians. The largest growth areas are forecast to be in offshore wind and carbon capture technologies.
The government also plans to ensure that new clean energy jobs come with strong pay and working conditions. Measures include extending employment protections, such as the National Minimum Wage, to offshore workers beyond UK territorial waters and developing a Fair Work Charter between trade unions and offshore wind developers to guarantee decent wages and workplace rights.
The plan will also make fair work and training commitments a key condition in future government contracts and grants, ensuring that public investment supports good-quality jobs.
Energy Secretary Miliband said the government viewed trade unions as “an essential part of the modern workplace,” noting that union membership in the energy sector had dropped from more than 70% in the mid-1990s to around 30% today.
In addition to the new colleges, the plan includes several initiatives to help people transition into clean energy roles:
- Veterans will be supported into jobs through a new partnership with Mission Renewable, matching ex-service personnel with roles in solar, wind, and nuclear energy.
- Ex-offenders, school leavers, and the unemployed will benefit from tailored programmes to help them gain key skills for the sector.
- Oil and gas workers will receive up to £20 million in retraining support, building on the success of the Aberdeen pilot that helped workers move into offshore wind roles.
- The Energy Skills Passport, which helps workers map their skills between industries, will be expanded to include nuclear and electricity network jobs.
Pat McFadden, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, 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 UK Government’s announcement complements the Welsh Government’s Net Zero Skills Action Plan, which aims to ensure that Wales’s workforce is equipped for the green economy.
Welsh Government Minister for Skills Jack Sargeant said: “Our ambition is to ensure today’s young people will have the skills needed to work the jobs of tomorrow, helping us embed the industries and services of the future in our communities.
“With decades of industrial expertise Wales is primed to capitalise on the generational opportunity that is the UK’s clean energy revolution. The plan announced today will complement our Net Zero Skills Action Plan and support our journey to a cleaner, more prosperous Wales.”
Clean energy jobs also offer strong financial incentives. According to government data, entry-level roles in the sector pay around 23% more than similar jobs in other industries, with salaries in wind, nuclear, and electricity networks averaging over £50,000, compared to the UK’s national average of £37,000.
The plan follows the Prime Minister’s pledge to raise participation in higher-level learning, setting a target for two-thirds of young people to complete academic, technical, or apprenticeship programmes by age 25, up from 50% today.
Russell Greenslade, Director of CBI Wales, said: “The growth of Wales’s clean energy economy is opening up real opportunities for people and communities right across the nation.
“The launch of the Clean Energy Jobs Plan provides a practical, forward-looking framework to connect local talent with both the opportunities emerging in this fast-developing sector and with the businesses driving delivery on the ground.
“Wales is already showing how workers, particularly those from traditional industries, can successfully transition into clean energy roles, drawing on our established strengths and deep industrial heritage.
“If we want people to feel genuinely invested in this transition and empowered to play their part, we must clearly show them where they fit in and how their skills and experience can contribute to Wales’s cleaner, stronger economic future.”
Want more from Businessin Wales? Why not follow us on our socials
Listen to the Businessin Wales podcast
