Now Reading: Scotland’s future offshore wind workforce
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Scotland’s future offshore wind workforce
Offshore Wind Skills Priorities and Action Plan published.
Plans to support the training of specialist electricians, engineers and technicians who will be key to the expansion of Scotland’s offshore wind sector have been published today.
Developed in partnership with industry and public sector partners, the Offshore Wind Skills Priorities and Action Plan sets out 12 initial actions to support the pipeline of skilled workers needed by the sector.
These include work in relation to a new engineering foundation apprenticeship, linking ‘work ready’ programmes with under-represented groups in the offshore wind sector, training oil and gas workers with skills to enable them to also work in the wind sector and establishing new training partnerships.
The plan also identifies priority regions where demand for work will be the greatest, in Aberdeen and the North-East, the Highlands and Islands, and Tayside, Central, and Fife.
The plan builds on existing initiatives aimed at upskilling Scotland’s renewable energy workforce, including an Energy Transition Skills Hub, the college sector Offshore Wind Skills Programme which started this year, and the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund – supporting workers to retrain and move into new renewable energy job opportunities.
The expansion of Scotland’s offshore wind sector represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to drive economic growth, foster innovation and support our transition to net zero.
It also offers the chance to create thousands of high-quality jobs giving opportunities to those entering the job market for the first time as well as those who want or need to change careers including as part of a just transition.
Supporting the development of a skilled workforce is absolutely critical to the success of the sector.
This plan marks the first step in a long-term, coordinated programme of joint work across private and public sectors to position Scotland as the world’s leading destination for developing the offshore wind workforce of the future.
– DEPUTY FIRST MINISTER KATE FORBES
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— Scottish Government (@scotgov) November 11, 2025
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Scotland already has a globally significant energy workforce, built up over decades of project deployment, operations and maintenance.
A new pipeline of fixed and floating offshore wind projects presents a unique opportunity to build on that existing skills base — strengthening it and creating opportunities that will take us into the future jobs market.
The scale and significance of our energy transition demands close working between the private and public sectors to leverage new approaches on skills, apprenticeships and training. This will benefit not just our sector, but the entire economy.
I’m proud of the partnership that has come together on the Offshore Wind Skills Action Plan, and we must all remain committed to its delivery for the benefit of Scotland’s workforce.
– SCOTTISH RENEWABLES, CHIEF EXECUTIVE CLAIRE MACK OBE
Background
Offshore Wind Skills Priorities and Action Plan
A new Offshore Wind Skills Programme Board, chaired by the Scottish Government and with representatives from industry and public sector partners will also be established to coordinate delivery.
7 priority job roles in offshore wind:
- installation and maintenance electricians
- metal working production and maintenance fitters
- wind turbine technicians
- mechanical design engineers
- engineering technicians
- electrical engineers
- marine and waterways transport operatives.
The Offshore Wind Skills Priorities and Action Plan has been developed by the Offshore Wind Skills Short-Life Working Group which is co-chaired between the Scottish Government and industry, and brings together representatives from economic agencies, industry bodies, colleges, universities, local government, skills bodies, funding bodies and trade unions.
The plan builds on existing initiatives aimed at upskilling Scotland’s renewable energy workforce, including an Energy Transition Skills Hub, the college sector Offshore Wind Skills Programme which started this year, and the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund – supporting workers to retrain and move into new renewable energy job opportunities.
