Renewables

12 May 2010

The previous Labour government’s commitment to renewable energy and the resulting job creations have left employers with a talent vacuum. Recruiters have had to look abroad to find candidates, while employers want the government to emphasise education to build a renewable talent pipeline.

“We believe the renewables sector in the UK has a bright future and we are committed to growing our presence here. Our recent commitment to the UK offshore wind sector will see us create some 2,000 new green energy jobs by 2020,” a spokesperson from GE told Recruiter.

We believe the renewables sector in the UK has a bright future and we are committed to growing our presence here.

And according to a spokesperson for Siemens a key concern is finding skilled people to execute the ambitious growth plans of the sector. The provider of wind turbines and offshore grid connections announced in March that it is to invest more than £80m to develop an offshore wind turbine production facility in the UK, creating 700 new local jobs.

The Siemens spokesperson added that the firm will require entry and skilled technicians, field service engineers, offshore project, site and installation managers, as well as power systems design and generator engineers, and commercial project management specialists.

At green electricity provider Ecotricity, a spokesperson said maintenance and service engineers were the main resourcing concern to service the wind turbines the firm operates.

But David Spencer-Percival, chief executive at energy recruiter Spencer Ogden, told Recruiter that employers were fishing from a very small pool, causing them to headhunt from each other or cross train people from other sectors like oil & gas.

All of which has resulted in escalating wage inflation, said the Siemens spokesperson. Siemens had seen a decrease in the number of school leavers going into power engineering, as well as large numbers of engineering graduates pursuing careers outside engineering after graduation, while a large proportion of masters students were from overseas without permanent work permits.

The Siemens spokesperson urged the government to do more to promote science, technology, education and mathematics (STEM) subjects. “The teaching and attractiveness of STEM subjects must be placed higher on the national agenda, with incentives placed for the teaching and learning of these subjects.”

Some recruiters were promoting the sector themselves, said Darren Peattie, managing director at Global People Solutions. “A separate arm of our business is going into every school and college in the Highlands to promote the industry and get the message across that renewable energy is the place for a guaranteed job in the next decade.”

Ben Cartland, associate director at Acre Resources, told Recruiter that if the firm couldn’t source candidates with direct experience within renewable technology, it would find people proficient in technologies that are comparable that may need training.

And these synergies do exist for certain positions, according to Ecotricity’s spokesperson. He told Recruiter that both wind turbine and pylon maintenance workers have similar compliance standards and training.

But for the immediate future, the industry will need to bring in talent from abroad to tackle skills shortages, said the Siemens spokesperson. “The new points-based system and the scarce skills list published by the government have enabled us to recruit skilled people from outside the EU, especially from India where standards of training in engineering are high.”

 

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Ben Cartland, associate director, Acre Resources
“It has been an interesting 12 months. Demand is still strong. Our team is expanding and we’re looking for new consultants. Our renewable energy team is one of the busiest in marine offshore renewables in wind or tidal or wave. We have not seen a drop-off for the past three years and we would hope to reflect what the market is doing.”

Eliot Davies, director, Hays Energy “Hays Energy operates across a number of sectors so we can get people from different parts of the energy sector. If there’s a skills shortage for offshore renewables work, because we cover oil & gas, we can tap into that where there are transferable skills. The agencies that will succeed are the ones, like Hays Energy, that can tap into a global market.”

Gareth Parry, head of recruitment for renewables, Centrica “There is clearly a skills shortage in the sector and with the planned growth in the industry, especially with the Round 3 offshore wind farms, this is likely to continue. Further support is needed for people to transfer skills from other related industries. Those who enter the industry join a sector that will grow and offer a long and rewarding career in the new low carbon economy.”