RenewableUK, Britain’s largest renewable energy trade association, has announced the creation of a new organisation, the Renewables Training Network (RTN), which will address critical skills shortages within the renewable energy industry.
Businesses in the renewables sector have pledged the equivalent of £600,000 of support for the £1.2 million project. The UK Commission for Employment and Skills (funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) has matched this by awarding £580,000 from the Growth and Innovation Fund to the new body.
RenewableUK is determined to resolve the skills gaps affecting the industry. The collaboration we have forged among companies to invest and develop solutions through this scheme will be critical to this.
The wind and marine energy will support 88,300 UK jobs by 2021, up from 10,600 today – if the right policies and financial conditions are in place, and sufficient skilled recruits can be found.
The shortage of high quality, industry-specific training institutions, courses and tutors is acting as a constraint to growth for companies in this rapidly developing sector.
There’s a lack of opportunities for mature skilled entrants to re-train. 2,000 new transition training places will be delivered by the RTN over the next 2 years.
By jointly investing in training, businesses will attract a diverse pool of trainees and provide them with access to up-skilling and employment. The RTN will open new avenues for fast tracking the transformation of generalists into experts.
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