The North West is poised to deliver £7bn of investment into low-carbon skills in the region, a new report has shown.
The document from the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) revealed that over £40bn could be invested in the engineering construction industry by 2050 – with around £7bn of that potentially set to come to the North West.
The report, entitled Towards Net Zero, outlines how the 海角视频 must deploy a range of technologies, such as carbon capture and storage, and hydrogen, as well as attracting new talent and upskilling existing workforces in order to decarbonise the industrial and energy sectors.
It comes as the North West Energy and Hydrogen Cluster, which brings together industry, political and university leaders across the region, reveals it is to set out a roadmap for low-carbon skills in the region.
Working with businesses, universities, colleges and training providers, the group said it will highlight where skills gaps exist, and where investment is needed to ensure readily-available supply chain opportunities and skills.
Led by the University of Chester and Manchester Metropolitan University, the Cluster skills roadmap will seek to understand the skills requirements of industry in the region - as businesses look to respond to the Government’s target of net-zero emissions by 2050.
Emma Degg of the Cluster said: “The North West is poised to come forward as the first decarbonised industrial cluster.
“New technologies such as hydrogen and carbon capture, smart grids and renewable energy projects are already transforming the engineering construction sector in the region.
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“The density of industries such as oil and gas, can provide complementary skills to support the transition to low carbon energy technologies and we have significant skills in salt cavern storage – something that the ECITB report highlights as an area that needs investing in.
“In the North West we’re working with businesses, universities, colleges and training providers to prepare a roadmap for low carbon skills which will highlight where investment is needed. This is hugely important to ensuring that the skills and job opportunities stay in the 海角视频 and in the region.”
Under the Government’s plans, at least one industrial cluster must decarbonise fully by 2040, with the remaining five becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
The North West is bidding to become the 海角视频’s first net zero carbon cluster, with the Liverpool and Manchester Mayors and Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) working directly alongside industry.
The Cluster is led by the North West Business Leadership Team (NWBLT), an independent group of influential business leaders.
It hopes to deliver 33,000 jobs and save 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
Other clusters coming forward include Teesside, Humberside, Grangemouth, South Wales and Southampton.
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Amer Gaffar, director of the Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre at Manchester Metropolitan University, said: “We have to provide a solid understanding of the work currently being done to decarbonise both the region and the 海角视频, and improve air quality.
“The skills roadmap is being developed to not only gain a further understanding of the challenges we face in this area from a view of both the educators and industry, but we need to develop a tangible pathway to skills to help regions like the North West decarbonise and create opportunities for future generations.
“The long term skills demand projections are currently uncertain, the quality of intelligence and forecasting is mixed and the pace of change is fast.
“However, we know that education and skills will ultimately underpin our ability to reach our ambition of a zero-carbon economy. As well as the environmental crisis there is also a compelling social and economic drive to ensure that the current and future workforce are equipped with the necessary skills to fill these roles.”