Britain’s government has published a nationwide plan to train and recruit workers for the clean energy transition. The strategy, issued on Sunday, sets out how ministers expect more than 400,000 additional jobs in the sector by 2030, effectively doubling existing opportunities. It identifies 31 priority occupations, including plumbers, electricians and welders, and will establish five technical excellence colleges to deliver clean energy skills. A new programme will also match veterans with roles in solar panel installation, wind turbine factories and nuclear power stations, with tailored schemes for ex-offenders, school leavers and the unemployed.

Funding includes up to £20 million from the UK and Scottish Governments to tailor training for oil and gas workers moving into clean energy roles. The energy skills passport, which maps routes for oil and gas workers into offshore wind, will be extended to new sectors, including nuclear and the electricity grid. The plan also places emphasis on the involvement of trade unions, including a fair work charter between offshore wind developers and unions to ensure firms receiving public funding pay decent wages and uphold workplace rights. Ministers also plan to close loopholes in legislation to extend protections, such as the national minimum wage, to the clean energy sector beyond UK waters.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “Communities 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.” Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said: “We’re giving workers the skills needed to 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.” Christina McAnea, general secretary of Unison, welcomed the plan as a step towards a UK workforce with highly skilled, fairly paid and secure jobs, and said extra retraining would help experienced staff move into new roles. Sue Ferns, Prospect senior deputy general secretary, said the plan is a welcome step but needs more resources and coordinated effort across government, while Dhara Vyas, chief executive of Energy UK, called it a crucial step in building the workforce needed for the future energy system. Jane Cooper, deputy chief executive at RenewableUK, said the plan delivers on employers’ calls for a coherent strategy and looks forward to working with ministers to realise its ambitions.