The government has promised to create 400,000 extra jobs in the next five years to support the UK’s expanding clean energy sector.
Plumbers, electricians and welders are among Labour’s list of 31 priority occupations that are “particularly in demand”, with jobs in wind, solar and nuclear energy set to double to 860,000 by 2030, ministers say.
Plans include five new technical excellence colleges to train workers with clean energy skills, with energy secretary Ed Miliband saying 10,000 extra jobs will be needed to build the Sizewell C nuclear power station in Suffolk.
An industry report published earlier this year found that more than 6,500 additional offshore wind workers are needed in the East of England by the end of the decade to meet the government’s clean energy targets.
The world will need 532,000 new wind technicians by 2028, with 40pc of the roles needing to be filled by new entrants, according to a report from the Global Wind Energy Council and Global Wind Organisation (GWO).
Hexis Training is part of Great Yarmouth-based energy sector service provider Stowen Group, offering GWO and Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB)-accredited courses from the Energy Skills Centre at East Coast College, Lowestoft.
It recently introduced financing options for its courses, making the route into employment within the renewables sector more accessible.
“Hexis has provided training to local, national and international delegates, and it’s great to now add the ability of finance options for those wanting to join the sector,” said Kieron Ford, chief operating officer at Stowen Group.
“We continue to work closely with industry and the East Coast College with an aim to support the required growth needed to service the sector.”
Rachel Bunn, director of commercial, projects and community at the college and director of the East Coast Energy Training Academy, added: “This new model will allow new entrants to access the mandatory training to enter this exciting new career.
“In the East there has never been more opportunity to harness the power of renewables.”