The Scottish Government has announced 650 new training places for workers in low-carbon technologies.
The training places will be delivered through Skills Development Scotland with funding of £585,000 from the European Social Fund.
Funds will be available for employers with less than 250 staff in the private, voluntary and community-not-for-profit sectors involved in renewable energy, energy efficiency and/or carbon reduction.
Employees will be able to ‘upskill’ or ‘reskill’ in low-carbon technologies, particularly within the building, microgeneration and energy efficiency areas.
“We need the right people, with the right skills and expertise to continue attracting our share of the billions of pounds of investment in green energy,” said Education Secretary Michael Russell, who made the announcement during a visit to Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, China.
The move has been welcomed by the Association for the Conservation of Energy (ACE).
“New training places to support ‘green collar’ jobs are great news, and a vital step on the road to a low-carbon economy,” says Chas Booth.
But he cautions that the Scottish Government must go beyond training places and put a comprehensive sustainable energy skills strategy into place if the region is to create new employment.
“Scotland could benefit from over 10,000 new jobs if serious action is taken to improve the energy efficiency of our homes,” he says.