Bridging the Gap: The Skills Needed to Deliver Net Zero 

The UK’s push for net zero is driving changes across every sector – and raising urgent questions about how to equip the workforce with the skills needed to deliver it. In this roundtable discussion, Alison Morris, Director of Policy at Skills Federation asks members Stephen Barrett, Director of Membership and Strategic Engagement, Energy & Utility Skills (EU Skills) and David Nash, Director of Strategy and Policy, Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) about how their sectors are preparing for the green transition, and priorities for the skills system. 

Alison Morris: Meeting net zero isn’t just an environmental goal – it’s a workforce challenge. What would you say are the biggest skills challenges facing your sector as we move towards net zero?

Stephen Barrett: The energy and utilities sector is facing significant new demand across multiple fronts: the transition to renewables, decarbonisation, infrastructure modernisation, EV charging rollout, digitalisation, and climate resilience, to name a few. 

Yet the skills system wasn’t built for this pace or complexity.

The biggest challenges are a lack of flexibility in the skills system, restricting modularised training which makes it harder to transition workers from adjacent industries. The pace of technological change means there is a constant lag in training provision. There’s also a shortage of skilled trainers who can supervise and teach at the scale we now require. Finally, devolved skills policy has created inconsistent funding and delivery across nations, which complicates coordinated action.

David Nash: For us, the biggest challenge is coordination. How do we ensure workers in carbon-intensive sectors like oil and gas or steel can move into clean energy? And how do we train up sufficient numbers of young people in good time, ahead of net zero projects starting? That timing is crucial.

Alison Morris: That alignment between publicly funded training and qualifications with the scale and pace of the net zero transition feels critical. How aligned would you say they are in your industry, and what needs to change?

Stephen Barrett: Currently, they’re not as well aligned as they need to be. There are gaps in green skills, particularly in renewables, low-carbon technologies, and digital applications. The skills system needs to better meet industry-validated demands and standards.

At EU Skills, we’re tackling this through occupational mapping, employer network groups, and the creation of employer-validated occupational standards. With these foundations in place, new opportunities – like the Growth and Skills offer, flexibilities in apprenticeships and the refreshed focus on skills investments described in the recent immigration white paper – can begin to close the gap. But we need to move fast. Employers need rapid, flexible, modular systems that can meet the demands of net zero.

David Nash: As an industrial training board, we’re able to fund net zero-related training and qualifications in our industry. We’re scaling up initiatives like our Scholarship and Work Ready programmes to support young people and the long-term unemployed into roles like pipefitting and electrical engineering – essential for everything from hydrogen production to offshore wind.

Collaboration Across Sectors

Alison Morris: Collaboration seems vital here. Are there examples where working across sectors has helped you meet these challenges?

David Nash: A great example for us is our collaboration with Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult and the Global Wind Organisation. Together, we’ve launched a Wind Turbine Technician cross-skill programme, supporting engineering technicians transferring from oil and gas to offshore wind projects. The pilot supports the two-way transition of qualified oil and gas technicians into onshore and offshore wind and then back again as and when maintenance activity is needed.  Training is delivered through Forth Valley and North East Scotland Colleges and ECITB-approved training provider, RelyOn Nutec. It’s directly enabling the green transition.

Stephen Barrett: We’re doing something similar. As the standards-setting body for our sector, EU Skills is collaborating with employers and industry bodies to develop industry-validated occupational profiles and standards. Each profile outlines not only the tasks and responsibilities of the role, but also the knowledge and skills required. They’re designed to support targeted recruitment, training, and cross-sector skills passporting – helping people move where they’re most needed, safely and efficiently.

We’re also working with IfATE and apprenticeship trailblazer groups and collaborating across industry and governments across the UK on National Occupational Standards.

Preparing for the Future

Alison Morris: How are your sectors preparing the current workforce for the shift away from carbon-intensive roles?

Stephen Barrett: Energy and utilities are right at the forefront of net zero. Many organisations already have carbon reduction plans and targets in place. For example, the water sector has pledged to achieve net zero by 2030. 

We’ve built occupational maps that show pathways from existing roles into green ones. This helps identify where upskilling is needed and enables smoother transitions.

We’re also responding to training needs with new, employer-validated products. One example is in high-voltage direct current and cable jointing – crucial for updating electricity networks.

David Nash: A key impediment to the workforce transition has been the different competency standards that exist across sectors for what are essentially the same or similar occupations. We’ve worked with industry to develop the Connected Competence programme, which standardises competence requirements and supports skills transfer between contractors and regions. Many of the core technical skills in oil and gas are the same ones needed in the emerging energy sector. The key is identifying what bolt-on elements are needed – then standardisation and recognition will help support transferability and mobility of skills. 

Alison Morris: What are some of the wider barriers you’re facing when it comes to upskilling and reskilling?

Stephen Barrett: One of the biggest is policy uncertainty. Employers need clarity to plan their workforce needs. Our research, occupational mapping, standards setting and product development efforts help create a demand-led system and ensure we have a skilled workforce needed to deliver projects and mitigate uncertainty. But investor confidence still relies on stable, long-term policy direction.

We also face challenges around public perception of the sector. That’s why energy and utilities businesses are investing in equity, diversity and inclusion to attract talent from all backgrounds. 

David Nash: Defining exactly what upskilling is needed is not straightforward. That’s why industry buy-in from the start is vital. We’ve begun working with Cogent and EU Skills to analyse skills and competency needs for hydrogen across different occupations. Encouragingly, research from Robert Gordon University suggests that over 90% of the oil and gas workforce has skills with medium to high transferability into offshore renewables. 

Alison Morris: Are there any standout examples that show how upskilling or reskilling can be done well?

Stephen Barrett: A recent success is our work with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) on the 100% Hydrogen for Heating Trials. We developed a competence framework for upskilling gas installers. That included webinars, standards development with IGEM, training specifications, and assessment criteria. Training began in early 2025, and it’s a blueprint for future innovation-driven transitions.

Priorities for the Green Transition

Alison Morris: What should government prioritise to help your sectors meet net zero targets?

David Nash: The Office for Clean Energy Jobs (OfCEJ) is proving vital – they are fully invested in supporting the skills and training requirements of the transition and DENSNZ is investing in regional skills pilots in key locations such as Aberdeen and Pembrokeshire. We’re working closely with OfCEJ and local partners to make sure funding reaches the right areas at the right time.

Stephen Barrett: We need a flexible, employer-led skills system that’s based on real demand and validated by industry. That includes coherence across UK nations, clear policy direction to give investors confidence, and government backing for occupational mapping and skills passporting. 

We also need targeted interventions to increase the supply of qualified trainers and to reflect the complex demands from digitalisation, infrastructure modernisation, and energy efficiency initiatives, like scaling up the EV charging workforce.

The government’s mission-based approach and creation of the Office for Clean Energy Jobs have helped focus efforts. The emphasis on clean energy is welcome.

There’s also real potential in skills policy reforms that allow for modular and flexible provision. If implemented well, these could enable phased, safe upskilling and faster development of new qualifications. Occupational mapping supports this, operating across borders, driving better alignment across the devolved nations and enabling skills passporting.

David Nash: The forthcoming Industrial Strategy is a great opportunity for the UK Government to provide further policy direction on net zero and with a new Post-16 Skills Strategy expected soon too, there is an opportunity for policy alignment. We have many of the fundamentals in place already – including a highly-skilled engineering workforce and British Engineering as a brand is respected worldwide. With the right coordination and support, we can equip our workforce to be a global leader in delivering net zero.

By Alison Morris, Head of Policy at Skills Federation, Stephen Barrett, Director of Membership and Strategic Engagement, Energy & Utility Skills (EU Skills) and David Nash, Director of Strategy and Policy, Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB)