A new scheme to enable former members of the armed forces and their families in the Humber region, Lincolnshire and East Anglia to find jobs in clean energy industries has been unveiled by the armed forces charity Mission Community, RenewableUK and the Government.
RenewableUK’s deputy chief executive Jane Cooper will co-chair a joint Government and industry body overseeing the one-year pilot project, which will begin in the third quarter of this year.
The Mission Renewable Armed Forces Clean Energy Initiative will be delivered by Mission Community. The scheme aims to smooth career transitions for service leavers into the renewables sector, identifying specific jobs which would be suitable for them and highlighting any barriers preventing access to these new roles.
It coincides with the publication of the Government’s Clean Energy Jobs Plan which sets out how to maximise employment opportunities in renewables and nuclear power across the country, creating over 400,000 new jobs by 2030.
Mission Renewable has already worked with RenewableUK and the Offshore Wind Industry Council at a national level, helping former members of the armed forces and their families to make use of their transferable skills in the renewable energy sector.
Anecdotally between ten and twenty per cent of workers already employed in the sector have a service background.
The programme has enabled companies to develop their own armed forces recruitment strategies and to sign the Armed Forces Covenant which demonstrates employers’ commitments to support ex-service personnel, including those who have been injured while on active service, as they make a career change into clean power.
RenewableUK’s deputy chief executive Jane Cooper said: “This innovative initiative which we’re proud to be launching today with our partners is a tangible example of the Clean Energy Jobs Plan in action. The lessons we learn from it will inform and guide future Government policy on job creation for military veterans and their families.
“Uniquely, this scheme focusses specifically on a part of the country where offshore wind developers, operators and supply chain companies are already based, which will maximise its impact.
“The renewable energy industry urgently needs people with a wide range of skills to design, plan, build and operate the huge pipeline of renewable energy projects required to meet the Government’s clean power ambitions.
“Former members of the armed forces are ideally placed to fill these roles, as they’re well used to working in closely-knit teams in challenging natural environments, and many have transferable technical or engineering skills. Many of them are already working in the clean energy sector, but we need even more.
“The number of jobs in the wind industry alone is set to double from 55,000 now to over 110,000 by the end of this decade. Military veterans can help to bridge the skills gap we’re facing, alongside workers from other industries such as oil and gas. All have valuable skills and experience which will enable the clean energy sector to continue to expand rapidly in the years ahead.”
Mission Community’s chief executive James Cameron said: “Since 2021, Mission Community has been working closely with industry bodies to highlight and celebrate the contributions of Forces members and their families, who now form the backbone of rapidly expanding clean energy sectors such as offshore wind.
“In some companies, veterans make up more than one in five workers in crucial roles. Our efforts to build Armed Forces communities within society have demonstrated that, at every level, veterans have successfully applied skills acquired in the Armed Forces to foster growth and drive the green revolution.
“The upcoming pilot aims to address gaps, spotlight those making significant contributions and establish new pathways. In doing so, we further integrate those who have served the nation into the workforce that will power and secure the future of the UK.”
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