The offshore wind industry has a plan to create more high-quality jobs as part of the green energy transition

For the past five years, Liam has been using his expertise to help Ørsted supply 7% of the UK’s electricity each year.

He’s not alone. The offshore wind industry’s workforce has already climbed to more than 30,000 in the UK – and to meet minimum government targets for the clean energy transition by 2030, 75,000 workers will be needed.

Currently, there is a skills shortfall. It will take greater coordinated action between industry, local and national governments, and the education sector to develop the right skills and build a diverse work force.

The good news in the race to create quality jobs is that we are not at a standing start. We are already data rich.

Industry has identified the critical and scarce roles that will be needed, mapped out the skills required for each, and the pathways to get people there. These include technical managers like Liam, as well as wind turbine technicians, high voltage technicians, installation engineers, fabrication specialists and planning officers.

We have a clear plan on how to deliver and are already driving progress on three priorities.

1.  Firstly, we are targeting where we know the right skills exist.

That includes attracting individuals like Liam working in related sectors like oil and gas, manufacturing, or the armed forces, and ensuring the right upskilling and training opportunities are available.

Lisa Suggett, is another positive transition story. Lisa’s career began in the Armed Forces but she has successfully transitioned into her current role as a wind turbine technician, supported by Orsted’s ‘Women in Wind’ programme.

Key to our success will be delivering on the UK Government’s recent commitments in the Clean Energy Jobs Plan to expand the Energy Skills Passport initiative – a tool to enable people to move between different parts of the UK’s energy industry more easily. And to invest in regional skills interventions, including relevant training to help individuals secure these new job opportunities. 

2.  Secondly, we must step up efforts to attract the next generation of energy workers to offshore wind, particularly those from coastal and industrial regions.

We are developing our future workforce through apprenticeships and education. Ørsted has partnered with two government-funded University Technical Colleges (UTCs) in the Humber to prepare 14–19-year-olds with the skills they will need to enter the workforce. We are also partnering with education charity, Teach First, and the social enterprise Stemettes.

Our own apprenticeship scheme has also supported almost 100 wind turbine technician apprentices in our Grimsby and Barrow bases. But we know we need to go further. 

As the UK offshore wind sector moves to the next stage in its maturation journey, industry needs to work more closely together, rather than simply compete for skills. This is why we’ve recently begun developing shared apprenticeships in critical roles with other leading offshore wind developers.     

3.  Finally, we need to ensure our jobs continue to be attractive and high-quality. That means inclusive, respectful and welcoming workplace cultures with safety as their bedrock, and career pathways to support development.

Ørsted is committed to building a highly technically capable workforce with sustainable careers and fair and equitable terms and conditions. We maintain a strong partnership with the trade union, Prospect, and are active members of the Wind Sector Industrial Relations Collaboration Forum, a joint platform with trade unions to facilitate dialogue on employment practices and workforce transition.

We embed equity, diversity and inclusion in our business strategy, with ambitious targets. For example, we have an ambition to reach a gender representation of 60% men and 40% women across Ørsted by 2030, and a greater share of women in executive and managerial positions. 

To realise this goal, we promote the industry as a career option for women through initiatives such as Women into Manufacturing and Engineering (WiME) and Women into Science and Engineering (WISE). We also have a dedicated talent management team to identify and mentor high potential women in the organisation, and are a leading sponsor of the POWERful Women initiative. 

There is much to do to grasp this once in a generation opportunity to create high quality jobs as part of the green energy transition.

The offshore wind industry, the UK, devolved and local governments, and the education sector all have a plan. Now it’s time to deliver it.

References

Wind Industry Skills Intelligence Report, 2025, Offshore Wind Industry Council and RenewableUK, ruk-owic-offshore-wind-skills-report_2025.pdf

People and Skills Plan, 2024, Offshore Wind Industry Council, PowerPoint Presentation

Occupational Mapping for Offshore Wind, Offshore Wind Industry Council, Occupational mapping for offshore wind