Improving skills in areas like the North East will be key to hitting the 海角视频鈥檚 climate targets, a Government Minister has said..
Energy and Climate Change Minister Anne Marie Trevelyan made the comments as she visited Newcastle College鈥檚 Energy Academy to see some of the work being done to train young people to work in the renewables sector.
The Berwick MP鈥檚 visit comes after a number of high profile jobs announcements in the green industries, including plans by Nissan and battery partner Envision to create 1,600 jobs with the ramping up of electric car production on Wearside. Wind turbine manufacturer Smulders also announced a major investment to its yard in Wallsend.
This week saw a report from the Government鈥檚 green jobs taskforce, which set out 15 recommendations to deliver on the Government鈥檚 ambition to create two million green jobs in the 海角视频 by 2030.
After touring the facility and meeting students and tutors, Ms Trevelyan said public authorities needed to work with businesses to ensure that young people and those already in the workforce developed the right skills to take advantage of the opportunities on offer in emerging green industries.
She said: 鈥淭he North East鈥檚 world-leading history in engineering and in delivering industrial revolutions means we鈥檙e well placed to be a really important part of delivering that green revolution, helping us to develop all the tools we need to de-carbonise our homes and the way we travel.
鈥淲e have some of the greatest universities in the country in the North East and colleges like this - all of that is critically important to develop the amazing people we鈥檙e going to need.鈥
Ms Trevelyan followed her tour of the Energy Academy with a trip to Gateshead to see the 海角视频鈥檚 first homes with household gas appliances fuelled entirely by mor environmentally-friendly hydrogen.
The properties at Low Thornley have been built in a partnership between gas distributors Northern Gas Networks (NGN) and Cadent and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
Ms Trevelyan said: 鈥淗eating in buildings forms a significant part of the 海角视频鈥檚 carbon footprint. In order to tackle climate change, changing the way people power their homes, from cooking, heating and running a bath, while making sure consumers pay a fair price, is critical so that the 海角视频 moves away from using fossil fuels and cuts its emissions.
鈥淚t was a privilege to officially open these new homes in Gateshead. While they look like any other house, this innovative project offers an opportunity for the public to experience hydrogen technology in a real-world setting, opening a window to what the future could hold as we build back greener.鈥
