LONDON, June 24 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news:
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Overathousandmoreoil and gas workerstogettailoredsupportto move intonewgrowingindustries,fromclean energyto advanced manufacturing
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Comes as UKand Scottish governmentsinvest a total of £6million toexpanda successful skills programmethathas already helped over 400 North Sea workers retrain
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The expanded scheme willnowopen tomoreworkers acrossScotland,offeringtheskillsneededto accessthousands of high-quality jobsin a range offast-expandingsectors
Over athousand more oil and gas workers willbenefitfromtailored career supportto accessgood, well-paid jobsincleanenergy andothergrowthsectors,as a successful skills programme is expanded across Scotland.
Backed by a total of £6 million from UK and Scottish governments, theexpansion follows a successful pilot scheme inAberdeenandAberdeenshire-whichhas helped over 400 North Sea workers retrain for roles in Scotland's energytransition.
Followingpopulardemand,thenewscheme willgivecurrent and former oil and gas workerslivinganywherein Scotlandspecialisttraining support,if theywishtotransfertheirhigh-value skills into fast-expandingsectorsunder the energy transition.
The expansion follows the government'splans,announced last year,to continue to usetheNorthSeafordecades to come, by managingexistingoil and gasfields for their lifetime and supportingnewinvestmentin oil and gas productionthroughTransitional Energy Certificates.
Thegovernmentwill notcontinue thesamefailedapproach totheNorth Seathatitinherited,whichsaw the skilled workforce fall by a third over past decade,without thenecessaryinvestment in what comes next. By actively scaling up clean energy industries, the government is paving the way for over 40,000 new roles in Scotland by 2030, creating the next generation ofskilledenergyworkers.
These jobs are alreadyhitting the market,as latest industry figures show that more than 1,500 new jobsweresupportedin Scotland's electricity networksin the last two years alone.Meanwhile,2025 sawjobs in the UK's wind industryreach a record high ofaround55,000,according to Renewable UK.
Theschemeis also being expanded to provide training supportinothergrowingsectors, including advanced manufacturing, lifesciencesand defence -where the skills andexpertiseof oil and gas workers are in demand.
Energy Minister Michael Shanks said:
Thousands ofgoodjobs are being created right now in renewable energy and upgrading our grid and we want to make it as easy as possible for people with skills from the oil and gas industry to take advantage of these opportunities.
This programme has already been oversubscribed so we are investing to expand it to more skilled workers as part of our commitment to deliver a fair and prosperous transition in the North Sea.
Secretary of State for Scotland Douglas Alexander said:
The expansion of the training scheme will support Scotland's position at the heart of energy production in the UK. The scheme will support more than one thousand oil and gas workers in their transitions into new energy technologies.
After a successful first phase, I am also pleased to see opportunities in different sectors, such as defence and advance manufacturing, are being made available to oil and gas workers in Scotland to utilise their specialist skills and experience.
Scottish Government Energy Minister Stephen Gethins said:
Scotland has the geography, we have the infrastructure, and above all, we have the people to make the most of the energy transition that is upon us.
The workforce that has driven Scotland's oil and gas industry for generations is one of the most skilled and experienced in the world and it is vital that their expertise is preserved in the North East, and beyond.
A just and managed transition means putting workers, and the communities that depend on them, at the heart of the economic benefits created by that transition. That is exactly what this fund intends to achieve by giving people the freedom to take their world-class skills into new and growing sectors, without being held back by the cost of training.
Eligible oil and gas workers in Scotland will be able tosubmitnewapplications for the scheme from today, via Skills Development Scotland's Transition Training Fundwebsite. Successful applicants to the scheme will receive careers advice and funding towards training coursesforhighly-skilledand in-demand roles such as in welding, electrical engineering, construction and more.
The expansion forms part ofup to£20million in joint UK and Scottish Government funding,committedas part of the government'sClean Energy Jobs Plan last year, to provideNorth Sea oil and gas workers withbespoke careers training for thousands of new roles in clean energy.
Frank Mitchell, Chair of Skills Development Scotland, said:
The skills andexpertiseof Scotland's oil and gas workforce are in demand acrossa number ofgrowing sectors.
SDS advisers can help workers in theoil and gas industry to reskill and upskill for careers in growing sectors to help them build on their experience andultimately transition into new roles.
The fund will play an important role in ensuring communities across Scotland benefit as much as possible from the continued growth of these key sectors.
Workers will soon be able to access support from a new North Sea Jobs Service,announced as part of the UK government's North Sea Future Plan last year, that will offer end-to-end career support for oil and gas workers to take up new opportunities in growing sectors - ensuring North Sea communities remain at the heart of Britain's energy and industrial future.
Oil and gas workers are alsobenefittingfrom the Energy Skills Passport, in collaboration with industry and Scottish Government, which helps workers toidentifyroutes into several roles in offshore wind including construction and maintenance. This will also be expanded to include more clean energy sectors over time.
Notes to editors
Further information on who iseligibleand how to apply can be found at:www.transitiontrainingfund.scot/.
The expansion of the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund is backed by £3 million in UK government funding and £3 millionfrom the Scottish Government.
This buildsonnearly£1 millionin UKgovernment fundingandan additional £450,000 from the Scottish Governmentforthe pilot scheme, whichran betweenJuly 2025andMarch 2026.
The UK and Scottish governments committed a total ofup to£20 million tosupport North Sea oil and gas workers transition into new clean energy roles.The remaining£12million in joint fundingwillbe rolled out over2027/8 to 2028/9.
The UK government'sclean energy jobs plan, published last year, confirmed that theclean power mission will create the next generation of skilled jobs, including over 40,000 new clean energy roles in Scotland by 2030.
According to latest figures fromRenewable UK, there were 55,000 people employed in the UK wind industryin 2025, including 40,000 in the offshore wind industry:
In the last two years, more than 1,500 jobs have been created in electricity networks in Scotland alone.
SSEN Transmission has grown by 1,100 employees over the last two years from 1,800 employees to 2,900 employees - a growth of over 60%.
SP Energy Networks created more than 450 new network jobs in Scotland in 2025 alone.
In the last two years, SP Energy Networks has created over 425 traineeships in Scotland.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
