UK requires offshore wind developers to fund local skills

The UK government has proposed a Fair Work Charter requiring offshore wind developers to pay into a local skills fund or spend a minimum amount on skills training in local communities to support oil and gas workers, apprentices and school leavers.

• Main action: Government proposals require offshore wind developers to pay into a skills fund or meet minimum local training spend to deliver education schemes, training facilities, equipment, work experience or internships; tied to the Clean Industry Bonus and intended for inclusion in the Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 8 (2026), with ministerial backing from Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and co-development with unions (UNISON, RMT, Prospect).
• Background and details: The scheme follows earlier allocations of up to £544 million (2025 prices) for offshore wind and a partnership with Great British Energy and The Crown Estate to invest £1 billion in offshore wind supply chains; government estimates up to 100,000 offshore wind jobs by 2030, onshore wind could support up to 45,000 jobs by 2030, a typical offshore wind salary is cited as £10,000 higher than the UK average, and Robert Gordon University analysis estimates ~90% of UK oil & gas workers have transferrable skills to offshore renewables.