Britain facing 'green energy skills shortage', says Siemens Energy UK boss
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The UK's largest wind turbine blade manufacturer has warned over a potential shortage of skilled clean energy workers as Labour plans to increase investment in the sector. D. Darren Davidson, the UK and Ireland boss of Siemens Energy, highlighted the green skills gap as a major hurdle during a period of "unprecedented growth" in the industry. He says around half a million additional workers will be needed in energy roles as the Government aims to make the power grid greener by 2030 and achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Siemens Energy, which runs the nation's largest wind turbine blade factory in Hull, is gearing up to play a pivotal role in Labour's strategy to decarbonise the power system, with ambitions to quadruple offshore wind energy production by 2030. Mr Davidson said: "There’s never been a better time to be in the energy sector. There are so many different technologies and types of jobs. We’ve created an environment in Hull where we’ve gone from zero to 1,300 jobs. We found the market in Hull and have been able to recruit locally because people there want to be part of those types of jobs.".
However, he warned that it's "getting tough", and emphasised the need to create a skilled workforce as one of Britain's key challenges moving forward. He urged the Government and power companies to "do more to make sure that people choose a career in energy with apprenticeships and graduate programs".
