A ‘Fair Work Charter’ would require offshore wind developers to pay into a skills fund or spend a minimum amount on training in their local communities for oil and gas workers, apprentices or school leavers.
Training could be provided through education schemes, new equipment or work experience and internships, creating fresh opportunities for people in coastal areas and industrial heartlands.
The proposals would also encourage developers and supply chain firms to create high-quality, secure jobs with better access to trade unions and stronger protections on pay and conditions by committing to a ‘Fair Worker Charter'.
A typical salary for an offshore wind worker is £10,000 higher than the UK average, according to industry estimates, with 90% of oil and gas workers having skills that are transferrable into offshore renewables.
Energy secretary Ed Miliband said: “Britain’s clean energy future will be powered by secure, unionised jobs for local people right across the country – from East Anglia to Teesside and Aberdeen.
“We’re backing businesses that invest in working people in these communities, securing a route to long-term careers for oil and gas workers, apprentices and school leavers, as we deliver our Plan for Change.”
Offshore wind requires skilled workers in areas such as blade repair, mechanics, wind turbine maintenance, marine spatial planning and health and safety protocols.
However, trade unions have warned that the UK government must show more progress on boosting employment or else risk losing support for the clean energy transition.
Indeed, a recent YouGov poll of 2,000 adults on behalf of the GMB and Prospect unions found that just 20% think that the transition will have a positive impact on jobs in their local area, and only 31% expect a positive employment impact anywhere in the UK.
The new government proposals would be introduced through the Clean Industry Bonus, which provides offshore wind developers with funding on the condition that they build new factories in deprived regions or invest in more sustainable supply chains to drive economic growth.
Commenting on the plans, Sue Ferns OBE, senior deputy general secretary at Prospect, said: “Transitioning to a clean energy future will mean tens of thousands of new jobs being created across the UK, and it is welcome to see a clear commitment from the government that these should be good quality, unionised jobs.
“Training the clean energy workforce of tomorrow is one of the biggest challenges we face, and it is only fair that renewables developers that rely on this labour contribute to skills programmes.”
Visit ISEP's Green Careers Hub to learn more about the opportunities for workers in the green economy.
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Chris Seekings is the Deputy Editor of ISEP’s Transform magazine, which is published biomonthly for ISEP members. Chris’s role involves writing sustainability-related news, features and interviews, as well as helping to plan and manage the magazine’s other day-to-day activities.
