Britain now has a national workforce roadmap for the energy transition. Published on 19 October 2025, the government’s Clean Energy Jobs Plan sets out how the UK could add more than 400,000 roles by 2030 as total clean energy employment rises toward 860,000, with 31 priority occupations from plumbers and electricians to welders. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) says the plan is about good, union-recognised jobs across every nation and region.

Delivery starts with training. Five new Technical Excellence Colleges will specialise in clean energy skills, backed by pilots in Cheshire, Lincolnshire and Pembrokeshire funded with £2.5 million for new centres, courses and career advisers. The plan also promises tailored support for school leavers, people out of work and those leaving prison so they can step into skilled roles that are in short supply.

Pay is a clear draw. DESNZ’s evidence shows median advertised salaries around £51,000 in nuclear and in electricity networks, and £50,000 in smart systems and flexibility-well above typical UK averages at the time. In the press notice, the government also points to pay in wind, nuclear and networks running above £50,000 versus a UK average of roughly £37,000 in late 2024. Separately, PwC’s Green Jobs Barometer finds many entry‑level green roles command about a 23% pay premium versus similar non‑green roles, underlining why these pathways are attractive to new starters.

The plan is tied to live projects. Ministers cite a green light for Sizewell C, expected to support up to 10,000 jobs at peak construction; Rolls‑Royce named preferred bidder for a small modular reactor programme supporting up to 3,000 jobs; and the Acorn and Viking carbon capture clusters in Scotland and the North East, together estimated at 35,000 jobs including 1,000 apprenticeships. Those sit alongside around 4,000 roles already coming through CCUS projects in the North West and Teesside.

Government points to more than £50 billion of private clean energy investment announced since July 2024-from grid upgrades to offshore wind and storage-as momentum behind the hiring push. Officials frame the new workforce estimates as a signal to colleges, unions and industry to plan training at pace for the roles most in demand.

Routes in are widening for veterans and people changing careers. With at least one in six ex‑military personnel already holding relevant skills, DESNZ is partnering with Mission Renewable on a pilot in the East of England to match veterans with jobs in solar, wind manufacturing and nuclear. Oil and gas workers will see up to £20 million for bespoke training, building on a successful Aberdeen pilot and an ‘energy skills passport’ designed to make switching into offshore wind-and now nuclear and the grid-simpler.

Fair work is written into the plan. Ministers pledge to close loopholes so offshore clean energy workers beyond UK territorial seas receive employment protections including the National Minimum Wage; to agree a new Fair Work Charter between offshore wind developers and trade unions; and to embed workforce and skills criteria in DESNZ grants and procurements, including the Clean Industry Bonus and Great British Energy. Union recognition is part of the approach after coverage in the wider energy sector fell from over 70% in the mid‑1990s to around 30% today.

The regional picture is substantial. East of England and Scotland are each projected to host up to 60,000 direct clean energy jobs by 2030, driven by projects such as Sizewell C and the Acorn CCUS cluster. The North West could reach up to 55,000, Yorkshire & Humber up to 35,000, London around 25,000 and Wales around 20,000, with Northern Ireland above 6,000. Across most regions, the fastest‑growing occupations are skilled construction trades, science and engineering professionals, and metal and electrical trades.

Behind the headline totals are very specific hiring needs. By 2030, the plan anticipates increases such as 8,500–10,000 more plumbers and heating installers and 7,000–8,499 more electricians, with similar growth for carpenters and joiners. Welding trades could more than triple, while demand also rises for mechanical, civil and electrical engineers, engineering technicians, and production managers in manufacturing and construction.

Independent data backs the scale‑up. DESNZ’s skills assessment notes that jobs in the low‑carbon and renewable energy economy grew five times faster than overall UK employment between 2020 and 2022, with about 272,400 full‑time equivalents already directly employed by 2022 and many more supported in supply chains. The department’s analysis of job adverts shows the share of clean energy postings roughly doubled since 2019.

Quality matters as much as quantity. Research from LSE’s Grantham Research Institute and Centre for Economic Performance finds green jobs in the UK tend to pay more and are at lower risk of automation than non‑green roles, especially for middle‑ and lower‑skilled workers-evidence that training routes into these roles can deliver durable careers if access is widened.

Communities want certainty that jobs are real and local. Here the plan’s mix of union agreements, apprenticeships and region‑specific skills pilots is a pragmatic start. Delivery will hinge on enough training places, faster planning for projects and enforcement of fair work standards offshore and onshore. We’ll be tracking whether promised workforce criteria in grants and procurement translate into offers with decent pay, progression and safety on site.

If you’re switching careers, look for courses aligned to the 31 priority occupations and ask providers whether qualifications map to the energy skills passport so you can move between oil and gas, offshore wind, nuclear and grid roles. Veterans can register interest as the Mission Renewable pilot scales, while school leavers should watch for places at the new Technical Excellence Colleges and apprenticeships tied to local projects.

One practical signal that training is scaling: Centrica has announced a £35 million academy in Lutterworth to upskill thousands of engineers in heat pumps, EV charging, solar and battery storage-part of a wider industry push to turn policy into jobs you can actually apply for.