This comes as the UK Government steps up its support for the project, leaders of Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) and RenewableUK have been told.

The government has said it will take “decisive action to help make available billions of pounds in funding across the UK including for Scotland’s clean energy industry”. 

The energy secretary Ed Miliband is visiting Aberdeen today [Thursday 17 October] with Great British Energy chair Juergen Maier for the first time since the city was announced as the headquarters for the UK’s new publicly-owned energy company.

Following the visit, the UK Government is set to sign a new agreement with the Scottish Government today [Thursday 17 October] to boost Great British Energy’s ambitions to support clean energy supply chains and infrastructure.

By developing partnerships with Scottish public bodies in the clean energy sector – including Crown Estate Scotland, the Enterprise Agencies and the Scottish National Investment Bank – Great British Energy can deliver quickly and effectively, avoid duplication, and deliver maximum impact and value for money from Scottish projects.

A letter dated 16 October tells David Whitehouse of OEUK and Dan McGrail of RenewableUK that the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) is “coming on board as an official project partner” to build on the progress to date “to facilitate delivery of an initial version to workers by January 2025”. Signed by Ed Miliband, secretary of state for DESNZ, and Gillian Martin, cabinet secretary for Net Zero and Energy, the communiqué goes on to say that DESNZ will help the project “by convening stakeholders across different industries and sectors to come and work together on mutual recognition and career mapping”. Also, the letter said, “we will provide our own project management advice upon request to help expedite the delivery of this passport in a timely manner”.

The contributions of OEUK and RenewableUK, with significant financial support with the Scottish Government, in progressing development of the passport so far are commended. The career mapping between different sectors is described “as a valuable asset for understanding the links between sectors”. Similarly, the letter said, finding mutual recognition between qualifications “will make it much simpler for workers to transition between sectors”.

“Since the inception of this project… the Department has recognised the value of a skills passport in benefiting workers and protecting local communities during the transition. We believe that this is an important step in addressing the wider issues raised by a ‘Just Transition’. We see this solution as a key project and right step on our path,” the letter said.

Just Transition is a framework developed by the trade union movement to encompass a wide range of social interventions needed to secure decent work opportunities and a greener economy.

• Comment below on this story. Or let us know what you think by emailing us at [email protected] or tweet us to tell us your thoughts or share this story with a friend.