UK unveils plan to create 400,000 clean energy jobs by 2030

The UK government on Sunday unveiled a national plan to create 400,000 additional jobs in the clean energy sector by 2030, saying the initiative will train workers across the country and place Scotland at the centre of the transition. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband launched the programme, which the government says will double employment in low carbon energy to about 860,000 by the end of the decade and target communities that have depended on fossil fuel industries.

The plan identifies 31 priority occupations for recruitment and training, including plumbers, electricians and welders, and sets out measures to steer public funding and contracts toward creating secure, well paid roles. Officials said particular emphasis will be placed on retraining people moving from oil and gas, as well as recruiting school leavers, unemployed people, veterans and ex-offenders into the sector. The government also said it will promote greater trade union recognition and collective bargaining across clean energy jobs, including offshore roles, and seek to extend employment protections for offshore workers beyond UK territorial seas.

Scotland is expected to be a major beneficiary, with ministers...