The UK Government has pledged to train and recruit more workers for the UK’s clean energy sector, promising to create “400,000 extra jobs by 2030.”
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme that thousands of jobs were needed to develop Britain’s clean energy industry to “get bills down for good.”
He said the Siemens wind turbine factory in Hull was “booming” and confirmed that “10,000 extra jobs” would be needed to support construction of the Sizewell C nuclear power station in Suffolk.
In a statement, Mr Miliband said the plan would bring “a new generation of good industrial jobs” to communities across the UK. “Our plans will help create an economy in which there is no need to leave your hometown just to find a decent job,” he added.
“Thanks to this government’s commitment to clean energy, a generation of young people in our industrial heartlands can have well-paid, secure jobs, from plumbers to electricians and welders,” Mr Miliband said.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said: “We’re giving workers the skills needed to switch to clean energy, which is good for them, good for industry, and will drive growth across the nation. Our new jobs plan will unlock real opportunities and ensure everyone has access to the training and support to secure the well-paid jobs that will power our country’s future.”
Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said the government’s strategy could “help create a UK workforce with highly skilled, fairly paid and secure jobs.” She added: “Additional funding for apprenticeships and opportunities for young people are crucial too if the UK is to have a bright and clean energy future.”