Challenge of decarbonising homes set to bring thousands of skilled jobs to North East

The North East is set to benefit from a jobs bonanza in green transition businesses expected to create up to 80,000 skilled workers across the region.

A new study has shown a small army of skilled workers will be needed in the North East if the UK is to reach its net-zero target by 2030.

And regional business agencies are determined to fill those vacancies locally wherever possible.

Commissioned by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP) and funded by the North East and Yorkshire (NEY) Net Zero Hub, the Domestic Retrofit Skills Assessment examined the types of skills that will be needed to decarbonise homes in the region, and the opportunities this presents for the area.

David Lynch, energy innovation partnership manager at the North East LEP, explained: “The UK government has laid out its Net Zero strategy and it’s clear that, if we’re to meet its targets, we need to get more people into the energy sector, working on retrofitting properties with low carbon technologies like heat pumps.

“We want to make sure the North-East is ready to capitalise on any opportunities this presents – like a surge in skilled jobs, so we commissioned this in-depth assessment of the skills which will be needed.”

The Assessment focused on skills needed in retrofitting homes with low-carbon technologies.

It identified the main types of job roles which will be needed – including designers, installers, advisory and procurement roles – and the current and projected market sizes.

NEY net-zero hub manager, Karen Oliver-Spry, said: “Having delivered a £53m programme of housing retrofit, the Hub is aware there are huge opportunities for skilled workers and supply chains to help decarbonise homes in our region.

“It was important to gain a detailed understanding of this need so that we can support organisations to take the necessary steps to realise the ambitions of the area.

“This study provides valuable insight and will help organisations to make informed decisions about how to allocate resources at a time when every penny counts.”

The study also looked at Further Education colleges in the North East and their current and planned training provision in these areas.

“As we know, the UK aims to decarbonise homes by 2050,” said David Lynch.

“That means we need to decarbonise around 20,000 homes a week – at the moment, that’s the number we’re achieving in a year.

“While this is a huge task, it’s also a huge opportunity.

“Post-pandemic, we’ve seen some sectors retract, and people have been burnt by experiences of redundancy or insecure employment, whereas energy is a sector that’s growing and the need for this very large number of skilled workers presents a huge opportunity for people in the North East.”

Based on the findings of the study, a 10-year action plan has been created by the North East LEP, laying out how the region can scale up its training provision, support people to upskill and promote the new opportunities that are emerging in the energy sector.

The North East LEP has been awarded £2.4m to deliver Green Skills Bootcamps across the region, providing opportunities for people to develop the skills needed in the green energy sector.