Energy Skills Passport goes live, enabling offshore workers to build new careers

Developed by Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) and RenewableUK, supported by the UK and Scottish governments, the Energy Skills Passport website will enable workers to easily identify which qualifications, such as technical and safety standards, are needed for specific roles in oil and gas and offshore wind, as well as mapping out potential future career pathways within the energy sector. Research commissioned by OEUK shows that 90% of oil and gas workers have skills which can also be applied to renewable energy.

The initial version of the website will be tested by a group of workers so they can provide feedback before the full version becomes available later this year. Users can now create personal accounts listing their qualifications, and then select from a limited number of offshore wind roles, such as turbine maintenance technician. The tool will provide details of the training needed to fulfil these specific roles. As part of the next phase, more roles will be added to encompass the wide range of jobs available across the energy industry.

The passport tool is part of a range of measures developed by industry and government to support the UK offshore energy workforce to understand and plan for expanded homegrown energy production. The passport will also evolve as the UK’s energy production profile changes, with more information on training courses and the availability of jobs to be added as the sector expands.

RenewableUK executive director offshore wind Jane Cooper said, “More than 100,000 people will be working in the UK’s offshore wind industry by 2030, mostly in highly skilled roles. To grow our world-class industry as fast as possible, we need the valuable experience that oil and gas workers can bring. 

“The Energy Skills Passport provides a gateway for people to make this transition by helping them to identify which offshore wind roles which would suit them best, and setting out in detail the training they will need to secure these new job opportunities. It’s a practical tool which demonstrates our determination to bring the tangible benefits of the energy transition to workers right across the energy sector.”   

Offshore Energies UK director supply chain and people Katy Heidenreich said, “We are pleased to be working with RenewableUK to launch the Energy Skills Passport. The UK’s offshore energy workforce has a proud heritage and continues to have high value jobs in oil and gas, which support a broad range of skills from engineering and construction to legal and commercial expertise. These skills are essential for the homegrown oil and gas the UK needs for decades to come together with the expansion in energy production we’ll need in future.

“This passport is all about helping people working in this industry to make informed decisions about their jobs and future. As we build a homegrown low carbon future, this passport can help them succeed in projects right across our diverse energy mix. We now look forward to working with policymakers to help unlock and enable the business investment we need for a new generation of good, high-value jobs and opportunities for firms and their people.”

OEUK supply chain champion Steve Nicol said the Energy Skills Passport will help to remove duplication of training standards and identify which qualifications are required for specific roles. “In doing so, it will not only drive cost reductions, but it will ensure consistency across health and safety practices,” he said.

Offshore Wind Industry Council skills sponsor Zoe Keeton, who is also RWE head of stakeholders and local markets, said the Energy Skills Passport “demonstrates the collaborative approach the energy sector is taking, supported by the UK and Scottish governments, to ensure we make the most of the transferable skills which offshore workers have built up over decades to support new industries in the years ahead.”