North-East Scotland College (Nescol) is receiving millions of pounds in private and government investment to help people into energy transition jobs.
This is part of the Energy Transition Skills Hub project which will see £4.5m over two years from the Scottish Government Just Transition Funding and £800,000 from ETZ Ltd.
Shell (LON: SHEL) has invested £1.8 million in Nescol to help “1,000 people into energy transition jobs across five years.”
This investment in the Aberdeen-based higher education institute is part of the London-listed supermajor’s wider goal of supporting “15,000 people into jobs over the next decade,” said the senior vice president of Shell UK upstream, Simon Roddy.
© Supplied by ETZ Ltd.Mr Roddy commented: “The UK is on the verge of a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape the country’s workforce with the aim of being an international leader in the energy transition.
“Today’s unveiling of the Energy Transition Skills Hub is a very important moment. And for Shell UK, it’s the first in our wider drive to help 15,000 people into jobs over the next decade to help ensure the energy transition is an opportunity for everyone.”
This comes soon after Aberdeen’s Robert Gordon University published a report warning that if the energy does not receive sufficient investment in coming years 95,000 jobs could be at risk in the UK.
Energy Transition Skills Hub
© Supplied by ETZ Ltd.The new facility will provide flexible teaching spaces, a demonstration and teaching facility and a welding and fabrication academy all delivered by Nescol.
Robin McGregor, Nescol’s vice principal of curriculum and quality, said: “The Energy Transition Skills Hub is a hugely significant project for the College and our partners.
“Nescol works very closely with industry to ensure the skills required in the jobs market are reflected in the courses we offer and the learning environment we create, with the new facility underlining the ambition the partners share as a driving force in the journey to net zero.
“This investment in the environmental and economic sustainability of the region comes at a time of great opportunity for the north-east and the College has a crucial role to play in ensuring the knowledge, skills and expertise that provide the foundation for energy transition are at the heart of that bright future.”
The hub will be built on the site of a disused dairy adjacent to NESCol, as an extension to the existing campus.
The new building increases the capacity of the existing training facilities at the college by four times the current levels.
Groundworks have already begun on the site with an anticipated opening in summer 2024.
Putting ‘north-east of Scotland at the forefront of the clean energy transition’
© Supplied by ETZ LtdRecently Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero Mairi McAllan joined chairman of ETZ Ltd Sir Ian Wood, ETZ Ltd chief executive Maggie McGinlay, Nescol Principal Neil Cowie, Mr Roddy and Mr McGregor to meet young trainee electrical engineers at Nescol.
Ms McAllan said: “Delivering on our climate obligations is an absolute priority for this Government, as is ensuring the journey to net zero is just and fair for those working in the energy sector and for the communities it supports.
“The Energy Transition Skills Hub will put the north-east of Scotland at the forefront of the clean energy transition, helping prepare local young people for highly-skilled jobs and opportunities in the renewables sector.
“Supported by £4.5m from the Scottish Government’s Just Transition Fund, it will benefit Aberdeen and the wider region as we accelerate our journey to a greener, fairer, net zero economy.”
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