Is the UK’s Workforce equipped for Net Zero?

The UK is facing a significant shortage of skilled workers equipped to deal with the transition to Net Zero.

Hundreds of thousands of jobs are expected to be created as the country begins to decarbonise and move towards its legally bound Net Zero target of 2050. There is an ever-increasing gulf in those qualified to do the work required.?

The UK has large net zero ambitions - vastly increasing the capacity of offshore wind, solar generation and nuclear power by 2030, 35 and 2050 respectively. This is before mentioning the scale of the heat pump rollout, which one day, aims to hit 600,000 installs every year by 2050.?

This spike of growth falls hand in hand with reports that the number of people purchasing low-carbon technology has steadily increased year on year, 47% between 2022 and 2023.?

Despite these figures, 78% of respondents to a recent survey by EcoExperts, want the UK to invest more in renewable energy.?

These aims were, are and rightly so, applauded for being bold and brass in the face of a world which continues to stubbornly refuse to let go of its fossil-fuelled toy.?

However, an eyebrow raised wouldn’t go amiss as:?

Investing more, purchasing more and building more all require the same thing?

Skilled Workers.

Strong Ambition, Weaker Foundations??

The Think Tank IPPR has found that the UK employs fewer people in renewable energy as a proportion of its working-age population than most other European countries.

Taking just one sector of the trade force as an example, Chief Executive of Energy and Utility Skills, a trade association, says he expects to lose up to 20% of electricians to retirement before the end of this decade.?

Oversight on both the scale of infrastructure required and age of its working population has allowed for the rise of net zero ambition that isn’t in sync with its foundatiion and is now risking collapse.?

This desynchronisation allowed the initial take up of heat pumps to suffer as a result. Complaints of “insufficient independent advice for homeowners” made the public unaware of options available or suitable to them. When a homeowner did decide on a heat pump, the backlog could span six months or more. It’s unsurprising the public began to lose faith.

It seems almost bizarre to speak about the ambition of a UK net zero policy being ‘too high’? when over the previous months, it looked like the exact opposite with that same government determined to undo and climate goodwill it’s retained over the years.?

The IPPR estimates that at least 1.6m jobs can be created as a result of the upcoming eco revolution. Sending a boom to an economy that’s stagnated in recent years, following the COVID pandemic and uncertainty surrounding Brexit.

60% of those in the UK, don’t believe the government is doing enough on climate change, a number which rises to? 74% of adults when asked if they are ‘very or somewhat worried’ about climate change.

Allowing for crosstraining alongside the potential for a expanded low emission heat scheme to the public, could help return some goodwill and confidence in their actions, to a government that desperately needs it. Retraining, upgrading and introducing legacy installers and engineers to efficient, modern products is just as vital as major announcements or low emission grand schemes.??

Help on the Horizon

According to the charity Nesta, there are currently 3,000 heat pump engineers in the UK where, if Ney Zero targets are to be hit, that number is likely needed to reach at least 27,000.?

It’s an issue that’s gone unnoticed. Companies like Fischer have announced free training sessions for businesses looking to upskill and future proof their workforce.?

Holding training sessions, allows companies or individuals to learn the essentials about renewable technologies whilst future-proofing their businesses with essential knowledge of alternative low-carbon products alongside Air Source Heat Pumps such as Electric Boilers, Electric Water Heaters and Fischer’s HeatCore radiators.

Providing these options, alongside Fischer’s free heating survey, avoids the past mistakes of homeowners being left unaware of suitable products or having insufficient advice.?

2024 is set to become possibly the most important year when it comes to climate change and the resulting climate policy.?

Helping the UK’s workforce enter carbon free age is just another part of Fischer’s panoramic commitment to reducing the domestic carbon footprint