Key partners in delivering the clean energy workforce of the future have taken a significant step forward in helping position the UK as a global leader in hydrogen and carbon capture training.

The Hydrogen Skills Alliance (HSA) and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) have launched the Hydrogen and Carbon Capture Skills Accelerator, which will work for the good of the UK’s net zero ambitions.

DESNZ has provided seed funding of £400,000 to launch the project, which was a key recommendation in ‘Empowering The Future: A Strategic Skills Plan for the UK Hydrogen Economy’, which addresses critical skills gaps in the UK hydrogen economy and was published earlier this year.

Partners in the Accelerator will collaborate in mapping out the skills and knowledge across the two regions before developing a strategy to address them. As part of this they will develop a comprehensive curriculum and training materials for hydrogen and carbon capture and storage (CCS) to tackle skills shortages, prepare the workforce and support the UK’s net zero goals.

The first phase will bring together leading employers and other stakeholders to identify existing skills and capability in two pilot regions – the north west and south west of England – building a clearer picture of where investment is needed and where existing training can be scaled.

The north west pilot will focus on hydrogen and carbon capture’s role in industrial decarbonisation, while in the south west the emphasis will be on the use of hydrogen in transportation. These pilots will act as a proof of concept which could pave the way for a national roll-out. The Accelerator will begin to develop a comprehensive curriculum and training materials for hydrogen and CCS.

Hydrogen has the potential to create more than 29,000 direct jobs and 63,800 indirect jobs, based on the government's ambition to generate 10GW – meeting this target will require a wholesale retraining of the existing workforce and a substantial boost in qualified new entrants over the next five years.

The HSA is a collaboration between Cogent Skills – the skills leader for UK science and technology employers – and the NCC, a world-leading innovation organisation that transforms cutting-edge research and technology into industrial impact.

Cogent Skills’ CEO, Justine Fosh, said: “I’m so pleased to announce the launch of this important collaboration. The potential for hydrogen and carbon capture to boost growth in our economy and increase sustainability across many industries is undeniable.

“But we face some unique challenges in skills development which require significant market intervention: the Accelerator has been created to help meet these challenges. I look forward to working with partners to make progress in this field.”

Chief Portfolio Officer at NCC, Katy Riddington, said: “This pilot is a valuable step in building the skills needed to deliver hydrogen and carbon capture across the UK.

“NCC is contributing practical engineering insight to ensure the training reflects real-world needs and can scale with the sector.”

ENDS

• For more information on the Hydrogen Skills Alliance, visit: https://cogentskills.com/hydrogen-skills-alliance/
• For more information on the NCC, visit: https://www.nccuk.com/
• To read the Empowering The Future: A Strategic Skills Plan for the UK Hydrogen Economy’ click here.