UHI Moray gets £210k in Just Transition funding for skills study as Moray moves to Net Zero
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THE demand for new skills for the renewables industry will be the focus of a study by UHI Moray.
The college has been awarded £210,000 from the Just Transition fund by the Scottish Government.
The money will be used to do an analysis and feasibility study, in collaboration with industry and local partners, to identify and plan to resolve potential future labour supply chain bottlenecks in Moray, as the area transitions to Net Zero.
The demand for new skills relating to renewables is expected to rise sharply in the immediate term and remain high for the next 30 years.
The UHI Moray study will identify and quantify the full range of knowledge and skills required to support Moray’s shift towards Net Zero and the green economy.
It will identify the curriculum and training pathways that will both support existing workers to transition into new roles in the industry over the next 10-15 years, and also prepare the next generation of workers to be equipped for future roles.
The study will identify flexible education and training pathways to deliver the skills required for this step-change towards net zero, and also the infrastructure required to deliver these new skills.
It will also lay the groundwork for new enterprise pathways that will help translate those skills into new business ventures that support the growth and resilience of the emerging green economy in Moray.
The funding will be used to employ a research team who will produce a report of findings and recommendations as the basis of a development plan for UHI Moray’s curriculum and capital infrastructure, in partnership with industry.
The study will also seek to complement and contribute to current Moray Growth Deal project developments.
The award is one of 24 successful projects awarded funding across Moray and the North East with a total of £47.5 million awarded for the area.
David Patterson, Principal and Chief Executive, UHI Moray, said: "We are delighted to be given this opportunity to plan and prepare for the exciting opportunities that the move to net zero carbon will bring to our communities in Moray.
"We take our mission of transformation here very seriously, and this funding allows us to position ourselves at the heart of the changes that will help protect life on our planet, and protect the livelihoods of those we live and work with."
The Just Transition fund is a £500 million 10-year commitment to support projects in the North East and Moray which contribute towards the regions transition to net zero.
