UK: 10,000 Jobs for Renewable Energy Industry Within Next 8 Years

The latest research from Renewable UK, the leading renewable energy trade association in the UK, has revealed that approximately 10,000 jobs could be created in the wave and tidal industry within the next eight years.

The study also highlighted the current dearth of talent in the renewable energy sector, with many employers struggling to find talented engineers with the correct experience. According to Renewable UK, those with a strong foundation in mechanical and electrical engineering, along with cross sector expertise, will find plenty of graduate job opportunities in the upcoming years.

Top job site, reed.co.uk, recognise that the major difficulty, however, will be finding professionals within the renewable energy sector that would be willing and able to work in remote areas around the world.

The South West region of the UK is currently at the forefront of the country’s renewable energy sector. The area is set to be home to the Britain’s first Marine Energy Park, which is a development that will stretch from Bristol to Isles of Scilly. Greg Baker, the climate change minister, believes that this park has the potential to create 27 gigawatts of power in Britain by 2050. This is the equivalent to the amount of power produced by eight coal-fuelled power stations.

These findings are concurrent with the latest AGR Graduate Recruitment survey of 2012, which indicates that job vacancies and starting salaries are set to rise by 16% in the energy, water, and utility sector during the course of the year. Between January and February 2012, the Reed Job Index also showed that energy sector will increase by 37 index points, from 92 to 129.

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Offshore WIND staff, April 05, 2012; Image: repower