A £1.2million training initiative has been set up to tackle skills shortages in the renewables industry.
In a partnership of renewables industry body Renewables UK and the UK Government, the Renewables Training Network (RTN) is to address skills shortages.
Businesses in the sector have pledged the equivalent of £600,000 of support for the £1.2million project.
The UK Commission for Employment and Skills (funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) has matched the cash with £580,000 from the Growth and Innovation Fund to the new body.
Renewables UK says RTN will pave the way for more than 77,500 new jobs in UK wind, wave and tidal industries and supply chain within the next 10 years.
It claims the wind and marine energy industries will support 88,300 UK jobs by 2021, up from 10,600 today – if the right policies and financial conditions are in place, and sufficient skilled recruits can be found.
It says there is a shortage of quality, industry-specific training institutions, courses and tutors, constraining companies in the sector and that there is a lack of opportunities for mature skilled entrants to re-train.
RTN will deliver 2,000 new transition training places over the next two years.
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