With 45,000 workers required to meet the growth in offshore wind alone, we need all children to study three science GSCEs
Growth and jobs in the years ahead will depend on the UK having a labour force that can exploit new technologies and discoveries, so workers with a background in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) will increasingly be in demand. But the growing skills vacuum we face is threatening the recovery, and nowhere is this more obvious than in our energy sector.
Tackling our energy and climate change challenges was worth £128bn to the UK in 2012, with nearly a million people employed to help do the job. But estimates suggest that around 45,000 skilled workers will be needed to meet the growth in offshore wind alone by 2021 and the Royal Academy of Engineering says that the UK needs 50,000 STEM technicians to replace retiring staff every year. If we are to make the most of a booming global low-carbon market worth £3.3tn, then we can’t afford to sit on our hands.