Training announcement made in Programme for Government follows SR calls

The First Minister has today announced a £100 million Green Jobs Fund and a £25 million National Transition Training Fund which will provide green skills to support Scotland’s transition to net zero. The announcement echoes Scottish Renewables' call for a Renewable Transition Training Fund.

Responding, Claire Mack, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, said:

“The First Minister’s declaration of a £100 million Green Jobs Fund and a £25 million National Transition Training Fund are significant steps forward not just for our industry - which will require a large number of skilled employees as we work towards our net-zero target - but also for all those people whose careers are not compatible with that target.

“Scottish Renewables has worked hard with politicians from all parties over the past four months to make the case that renewable energy should be at the very heart of a green recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. We are pleased that our suggestion of funding to refocus careers and businesses on the provision of green skills to support Scotland’s transition to net-zero has found a place in this Programme for Government, and look forward to working with the Scottish Government as it further develops its plans in the coming months.

“In particular, in it important that Scotland’s skills and enterprise agencies and skills providers work in tandem with industry to ensure that skills which are delivered are those which are required. We are also keen that the development of a Renewable Energy Centre of Excellence takes place in Scotland to provide a physical base for the reshaping of our economy in the decades leading to the 2045 net-zero target.”

• Scottish Renewables has consistently advocated for The Scottish Government, as part of its response to the COVID-19 crisis, to introduce a Renewable Transition Training Fund to support oil and gas professionals, supply chain businesses, tradespeople and public servants to acquire sustainable, exportable skills and join the renewable energy industry. This training fund, which has received backing from industry and MSPs from across all parties, will support The Scottish Government to deliver a green recovery and harness the much-needed opportunities for job stimulus, particularly in the deployment of offshore renewables and low-carbon heat, which renewable energy offers to support communities hit hard by the economic effects of the pandemic. More information on Scottish Renewables' call for a Renewable Transition Training Fund can be found in this news release.
• More detail on The Scottish Government's announcement can be found on its website.