UK needs ‘urgent action’ on energy transition skills, says NIC

The government must take “urgent action” to ensure there are enough workers to deliver the UK’s green transition, its own infrastructure watchdog has said.

In a report published this morning (21 February), the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) said skills shortages “pose a significant challenge for the deliverability of the energy transition” from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

The report found that the UK needs “a step change in the approach to the distribution network”, which is key to electrifying heat and transport and can support the decarbonisation of power by connecting new sources of generation.

However, the sector already suffers from a shortage of craft workers, particularly cable jointers and overhead line workers, as well as engineers and transferrable construction roles such as excavators and project managers.

“Given the time it takes to develop these skills, urgent action must be taken to ready the workforce for the energy transition and to meet net zero,” the NIC report stated.