Renewable energy talent boom is on the horizon – but where will the skills come from?

As the political race for power rages on in the UK, Samuel Knight International has welcomed the renewable talent focus in the Labour and Conservative manifestos.

While other factors in these documents remain the key focus of national media, the global rail and energy recruitment specialist has welcomed the positive sustainable commitments outlined by two of the major parties but warns against complacency due to the ongoing skill shortages in the sector.

Labour has announced that it will kick-start a Green Industrial Revolution which will create a million climate jobs in every region of the UK, while the Conservative party has stated that it will reach Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050 by investing in clean energy solutions and green infrastructure to reduce carbon emissions and pollution.

Darren Williams, Renewables Divisional Manager, at Samuel Knight International commented:

“Sustainable energy sources are a hot topic across the globe and shouldn’t be left out of voting decisions in the UK. Both of these manifesto commitments have the potential to shake up the energy sector and bring the change that is needed for not only the renewables industry, but also every individual in the country. For too long, talent has not been made a priority in the fight against climate change and, as a result, projects have been running behind schedule and budgets have been exhausted. Society is now becoming more aware of how important clean energy is, however talking about it is not enough and action must be taken to address the very real energy skill shortages we have in the UK. We sincerely hope to see more politicians take greater action to bolster renewable talent pools.”