Wales’ Workforce Challenge: Who Will Build Our Green Future?

In this blog, Catryn Newton, Director of Community Investment and Communications at Bute Energy, reflects on the critical discussions from the Onshore Wind Conference 2024 about building Wales’ renewable energy workforce necessary to drive the onshore wind sector in Wales. With a strong background in social investment and community regeneration, Catryn shares insights into how Bute Energy is committed to creating inclusive pathways into renewable energy jobs, fostering partnerships across sectors, and ensuring a just transition to a green economy in Wales.  Here, she highlights the challenges and opportunities in workforce development and the steps Bute Energy is taking to support Wales in meeting its ambitious net zero targets.

As someone whose whole working life has been dedicated to social investment, community regeneration and social mobility, I joined the sector because of the potential it has to meaningfully improve the lives of people across Wales.  It has the potential to create inclusive pathways to sustainable jobs, ensure access to training, and enable the third sector to build resilience and legacy.  It was too important a challenge to resist!

There has been much talk during the conference about the importance of articulating the wide range of community benefits our industry has to offer, far beyond a Community Benefit Fund. And I agree. The potential of collective social outcomes and the sector’s demonstrable track record of delivery speaks to some life changing socio-economic benefits. 

I believe that building the workforce necessary to deliver the Bute Energy portfolio of projects in Wales is equally our greatest challenge and most exciting opportunity.  

Meeting the Demand for a Skilled Renewable Energy Workforce in Wales

Claire Mack, CEO of Scottish Renewables, opened day two of the event talking about optimism in the sector – how the momentum of politics, policy and public interest is in our favour. If we take current sector optimism as some sort of positive juju being sent down by the consenting gods (and it really helps my stress levels to think in that way), then in order to deliver for Wales we need to replicate, innovate and accelerate best practice in skill building and collaborate with other sectors to ensure we are attracting, retraining and retaining people.  We could look to the guidance set out in the Scottish sector deal on recruitment and as Hitachi Energy’s Market Development lead, Alwyn Poulter said –

“We need to start selling the sector as an attractive place to work, if we’re ever going to build the workforce we need to deliver all that infrastructure.” 

Of course, the challenge in Wales is slightly greater:  We know we are behind in developing the skills necessary to plan and build the projects needed to hit Welsh Government’s 2035 targets.  We know the supply chain is ill prepared to capitalise on the billions of pounds of contracts likely to be on offer over the next 5 to 10 years.   We also know that pathways aren’t clear to people and they’re unaware of the diversity of opportunities that lie within the sector.    

So, what are we going to do about it? 

Bute Energy’s Commitment to Building Renewable Energy Jobs in Wales

I’m proud to say that at Bute Energy, we’re absolutely doing something about it! 

In July 2024, we launched our Net Zero Skills Strategy at the fantastic Senedd building in Cardiff. Stuart George, Managing Director, and Biba Chuta, Social Mobility Lead and I shared what we are planning to do to contribute to building the wind workforce of the future.  Representatives attended from the Welsh education sector, our contracted and community partners as well as Welsh Government themselves – all invested in promoting green skills.  

We had the privilege of demonstrating what we have achieved to date as a young business:

I am thrilled with our efforts so far, but am also realistic. The road to achieving a skilled renewable energy workforce in Wales is long but promising. To quote the wise words of Biba Chuta –

“This is just the beginning, we’re only now getting started.” 

Collaborating for a Just Transition in Wales’ Renewable Energy Sector

No one developer can do this alone, the monumental task to address the challenge of jobs and skills must be tackled collectively with education, industry, government and the public sector, combined with a clear vision and manageable steps to achieving it.  

We call on partners in Wales to help us:  

Drive the promotion of STEM skills, experiences and opportunities for all, by bringing the education sector and the industry together. 

Diversify the net zero workforce by sharing best practice in policies designed to attract, retain and enable everyone to thrive. 

Deliver an industry wide, best practice social value ‘minimum’ standard. 

Develop partnerships across industry, education, public, third sectors and government to maximise the opportunities to create new inclusive pathways into renewables, infrastructure as well as those industries at the forefront of our transition to net zero. 

Deploy the Welsh supply chain to get the job done! 

How bloody exciting, let’s get to work!