Demand heats up for new green skillsets in Scotland

SIX months ago, Glasgow’s hosting of COP26 brought a focus on how Scotland and indeed the whole world would tackle the climate emergency and reduce carbon emissions. 

That conversation has already shifted as the war in Ukraine coupled with sharply rising gas prices and a cost-of-living crisis shone the spotlight on to how we would heat our homes and ensure the security of our energy supply. 

Much of the debate focuses on energy generation – how quickly can we ramp up renewable energy sources and how heavily (if at all) we should rely on nuclear – but reducing our usage through energy efficiency is equally as important. 

The way we heat buildings in Scotland makes up 21 per cent of our carbon emissions. By 2030, emissions from Scottish homes and buildings must fall by 68 per cent from 2020 levels, taking one million homes from using gas to zero-emissions alternatives.

By 2045 all homes and buildings in Scotland must have significantly cut their energy use and almost all buildings must be using a zero-emissions heating system.  

It’s a challenge that will require strong will, partnership, and innovation to tackle, but I am convinced the will is there.  

Since Scotland became one of the first countries in the world to declare a climate emergency, setting the target of net zero carbon emissions by 2045, we’ve seen the publication of Scotland’s Climate Change Plan. 

Scotland’s Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan was published alongside it in December 2020. It aims to ensure Scotland’s workforce has the skills needed for the transition to a net-zero economy and identifies priority areas focused on employers, education and individuals that will help Scotland capitalise on job opportunities emerging from the net-zero transition.   

This is a truly collaborative piece of work developed in partnership between public, private and the third sector, and it is industry and evidence led.  

Its implementation is now being overseen by a steering group comprising more than 20 organisations across the country, with sub-groups leading approaches in certain sectors. 

That includes the Heat Decarbonisation sub-group which brings together 27 knowledgeable partners to build and influence investment within the sector, strengthening industry and employer input into priority action and delivery. 

The group is here to ensure we have a strong foundation to support the built environment and construction sector to develop the competent workforce needed for decarbonisation of our buildings.  

In Scotland, retrofitting housing stock is where we’ll see the big changes to our heat decarbonisation – think back to those one million homes. 

The group has a laser focus on the drive to low carbon heating sources. Scottish Government has set aside £1.8 billion over the next five years to make homes easier and greener to heat. 

At our current conversion rate, 3000 households per year are installing low and zero emissions heating. This needs to grow rapidly to around 64,000 a year in 2025 and will need a workforce to grow with it. 

Whilst we are making good progress, we must not be complacent as to the scale of the challenge ahead of us as a nation.   

In the coming years and decades in Scotland, the way in which we heat and cool our homes will change significantly.  So how can we do more to move with agility and speed as a nation to respond to ensure we meet the demand new policy and technologies are putting on employers and the skills system?  

This will require a shift in training and skills which we have not seen since the Industrial Revolution. We must all work collaboratively across all sectors to stay focussed on our goal.  

We are already looking at the challenges faced by the current skills system and training provision to encourage innovation, directly involving employers and industry so initiatives are designed and led with their input. 

We are also making recommendations on further targeted skills support including for upskilling the existing workforce, and how to maximise existing skills pathways such as apprenticeships, including for people aged over 25 and giving consideration to the need for new skills pathways, how existing apprenticeships can be changed, and whether new apprenticeships are required so people are ready to work in this sector.   
Bolstering training capacity and looking at broader skills requirements such as meta skills and consumer engagement are also high on our list of objectives. 

It will take all of us working collaboratively to make the changes needed. We have to respond to emerging challenges as a collective, ensuring we line up training and funding to maximise every opportunity.

• Find out more about taking a green approach to your career at greenjobs.scot 

Professor Steve Petrie is the Business Performance Director at Balfour Beatty plc. He is a Board member of Built Environment – Smarter Transformation and visiting Professor at Robert Gordon University. He also leads the Heat Decarbonisation sub-group, part of Scotland’s Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan

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Pressing need for apprentices to meet net zero targets

EMPLOYERS are backing apprenticeships and supporting young people through Scotland’s economic transition from the pandemic.

The annual number of Modern and Graduate Apprenticeship starts has risen to 26,548, according to latest figures published by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) – 34 per cent higher than the previous year.

The figures show there were 25,401 Modern Apprenticeships starts during the past financial year (April 2021-March 2022), which is 6,746 higher than the same point last year – a 36 per cent increase.

Apprenticeships are a key part of Scottish Government’s Young Person’s Guarantee which ensures a job, training, education or volunteering opportunities for every 16-to-24-year-old.

Scottish Government has pledged its continued support of apprenticeships, stating that it is committed to getting starts up to pre-pandemic levels and to then see how further they can go.

Apprenticeships are part of the Scottish Government’s economic strategy, highlighted as critical to developing skills needed to support economic transition and increase productivity, while contributing to fairer and more equal economic opportunities. 
Among the employers benefiting from apprenticeships is Barry Sharp of Renewable Heat – a firm specialising in installing ground and air source heat systems.

The company currently has three Modern Apprentices and Barry believes work-based learning will be crucial in helping Scotland meet its renewable energy targets. He is one of the advisers on the new heat decarbonisation group linked to Scotland’s Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan.    

The plan identifies a series of priority areas focused on employers, education and individuals that will help Scotland capitalise on job opportunities emerging from the net-zero transition. 

The heat group is looking at the whole industry in Scotland to build and influence investment within the sector, strengthening industry and employer input into priority action and delivery.

Barry said: “The opportunities in this industry are really about to explode.

“As this work scales up, and more plumbers and heating engineers move into heat pumps, they will need dedicated training and it’s great to have the opportunity to influence and inform that from a place of real experience.  

“There will be so many high value, well paid jobs, it’s a great opportunity for any young person.”

According to SDS Chair Frank Mitchell, employers such as Renewable Heat are typical of those who recognise the benefits of apprenticeships.
He said: “As the economy continues to recover from the challenges of the pandemic, the latest apprenticeship statistics demonstrates that employers continue to recognise the critical role apprenticeships play in developing a skilled workforce.

Apprenticeships closely meet the needs of employers and the economy, while supporting Scottish Government’s approach to supporting economic recovery and delivering the opportunities through the youth employment strategy, Developing the Young Workforce.

“There is a greater focus than ever on youth unemployment, harder to reach individuals and people from marginalised communities and work-based learning is opening up opportunities for those individuals to gain the skills they need for life and work.”

Director of Devolved Nations at Federation of Small Businesses Scotland, Colin Borland said: “Coming out of the pandemic, small businesses still face challenges including rising costs and recruitment difficulties.  Apprenticeships can offer a cost-effective solution to finding new talent, with the support provided to embed skills needed for now and the future.”