The hydrogen sector only has a fraction of the workforce available today that it will need in future, according to research.
Cogent Skills released a report – A Greenprint on Skills for the Low Carbon Transition – within which it detailed how even though the UK has shown increased ambition to accelerate hydrogen deployment, it still lags behind the likes of Australia and Canada when it comes to its workforce strategy and understanding of potential skills shortages.
There are 600 people working in alternative fuels today, where hydrogen is a core component. This is only 5% of the number of jobs (12,000) estimated in hydrogen by 2030. It could yet support 100,000 jobs by 2050. Converting estimated ratios of what Australia’s hydrogen workforce would consist of by 2030, the UK’s hydrogen industry could need 2,500 engineers, 7,200 technicians and tradespersons, 600 logistics personnel, 800 management professionals, 700 safety and quality control personnel and 150 specialists by the end of the decade.
Therefore, there is clearly work to do, with the emerging hydrogen sector needing to create a workforce with the right proportion of skills in each area, level and location. This will call for industry to map all of the jobs required, including the key skills and training across all project phases and sectors to help meet hydrogen production and demand projections. The newly created Hydrogen Skills Alliance could oversee this.
While the Green Jobs Taskforce suggested 90% of the UK’s oil and gas workforce have medium to high skills transferability into other energy sectors, it is only medium transferability for hydrogen and even then, only into blue hydrogen too. Upskilling and reskilling could be needed in areas including the processing, compression, pipeline transmission, truck transportation and safe handling of gas and liquid fuels; the understanding of electrochemical processes and ability to install, troubleshoot, service and maintain equipment and technology associated with the deployment of hydrogen, fuel cells and electrolysers; and training for working in underground storage of hydrogen gas.
Through desk research and jobs mapping, it also highlighted how a significant proportion of jobs in hydrogen will call for Level 6+ qualifications, long-term professional development and relevant trade certificates. Even though hydrogen is highly adaptable to existing energy systems, workers will still need specific training and different skills because of different chemical properties and processes.
It went on to make a series of recommendations, stressing the need for a comprehensive strategic plan that instills confidence and stability in both industry and government, supporting long-term investment in skills development planning. For hydrogen, this should establish clearly defined role profiles for key positions and develop workforce projections to anticipate future skills demand under different growth scenarios.
Looking at the methods and precise mechanisms used by industry to address the current levels of skills demand, particular priorities for the emerging hydrogen sector should be a stable and consistent policy environment that fosters employer engagement on skills and encourages long-term strategic planning. There should also be a diverse range of apprenticeship standards for hydrogen, reflecting modern technology developments and industry needs, developed and then maintained.
Further priorities for hydrogen include promoting Careers Outreach programmes that can educate and inspire young people to enter the sector; carry out research to understand the equality, diversity and inclusion issues of the workforce; and develop clearly defined pathways that can facilitate the transition of workers from adjacent industries to bring cross-sector learning.
