Scotland’s largest Energy Transition Skills Hub has officially opened in Aberdeen, with the aim of supporting 1,000 individuals into renewable energy roles within its first five years, officials said on Monday.
The £10 million facility, located in the city’s Energy Transition Zone, includes a welding academy, advanced manufacturing areas, and digital training suites. It forms the central element of the Skills Campus led by ETZ Ltd and has now been transferred to North East Scotland College (NESCol), where training is already underway.
The hub is backed by multiple partners, including the Scottish Government’s Just Transition Fund (£4.5 million), Shell UK (£1.8 million), NESCol (£500,000), the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) (£400,000), and SSEN (£150,000).
“This hub will be transformational in building on [Aberdeen’s] proud reputation and positions the city and wider region as the go-to location for people seeking to develop energy skills of the future,” said First Minister John Swinney at the opening ceremony.
The first cohort includes 42 welding students and 27 engineering students enrolled for the academic year. Additional courses in energy technician training and wind turbine operations and maintenance have also begun.
Sir Ian Wood, chairman of ETZ Ltd, described the opening as a key step in supporting the low-carbon economy. “Equipping this and future generations with the skills necessary so they can forge long and successful careers in the transition to a low carbon economy is of the utmost importance and that is why today’s opening is such an important occasion,” he said.
Shell UK senior vice president Simon Roddy said the new hub would serve as a core element of the company’s UK Skills Transition Programme, which aims to assist 15,000 people in moving into energy transition roles by 2035.
NESCol principal Neil Cowie added that the facility would also focus on workforce development. “With the full-time offer now embedded, we are already turning our attention to the offer tailored to employers and those wishing to take advantage of part-time learning opportunities,” he said.
The hub is part of a broader strategy to position Aberdeen as a central player in the UK’s net-zero transition, leveraging its historical role in energy to develop a workforce for emerging technologies.
