The Government is speeding up of delivery of a ‘skills passport’ to support oil and gas workers to move into offshore wind and renewable energy sectors.

The passports are designed to help oil and gas workers change careers as the offshore fossil fuel sector winds down following the ban on new licences and research from Offshore Energies UK suggests that 90 per cent of oil and gas workers have transferable skills for offshore renewable jobs. The skills passport allows offshore workers’ skills and qualifications to be recognised by employers across various sectors, facilitating their smooth transition into the renewable energy sector. It will identify where oil and gas health and safety standards will be recognised in the offshore wind sector and map out different career pathways into the wind industry. 

The passport initiative is being overseen by RenewableUK and Offshore Energies UK and supported by the UK and Scottish Governments which will align standards, recognise transferable skills and qualifications. A digital tool for workers is set to be piloted by January 2025, and the Government’s Office for Clean Energy Jobs is also working closely with Skills England to support other workers on the energy transition, which by 2030 could create hundreds of thousands of new jobs across the UK.

David Whitehouse, CEO, Offshore Energies UK commented: “This package of announcements contains significant measures for firms, their workers and their supply chains across the UK. The skills passport is an important part of the toolkit industry is assembling in recognition of the integrated nature of the energy landscape. Those working in our domestic oil and gas sector have powered the country for the last fifty years and will play a critical role in our energy future. The sector is committed to working in partnership with government to leverage our industrial strengths to deliver a managed transition that creates opportunities for people and communities around the country.”

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