Debate contribution: Economy
Debate contribution by Dr Caoimhe Archibald on .
- MLA
- Dr Caoimhe Archibald
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 24 February 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Economy
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4813611
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Decarbonisation is one of my four key objectives. Transitioning to net zero is the right thing to do, and it offers economic opportunities. In order to grasp those opportunities, it is vital to equip the workforce with the necessary skills. My Department has been working in collaboration with the green skills delivery group to develop an action plan to address the needs of the energy sector as well as wider green industries. It is a comprehensive framework to guide government, employers, trade unions, education providers and individuals on what is needed to deliver the skills for the future and to meet net zero targets. The plan will be launched in the coming weeks. A subgroup of the delivery group, with representatives from business, academia and across government, will continue to advise us on changing green skills needs. Delivery has already commenced in some areas with free courses through the SKILL UP programme, including on hydrogen energy systems; installation and commissioning of electrical energy storage systems; passive house; and retrofitting. Additionally, our universities and colleges offer a range of courses in energy, environment and sustainability as well as net zero engineering. By working together, we can meet the challenge of the evolving and complex skills demands of the energy and wider green sectors.
As the Member will be aware, all Departments' budgets are constrained. The Executive's Budget is constrained, and, collectively, we continue to make the case to the British Government that we should be properly funded. As a Department, we are still working through our budget plans for 2025-26, and we will prioritise key areas in the Department, skills being one of them.
On the basis of research and stakeholder consultation, the action plan has identified four priority key areas of action to address current and future green skills needs. They are reviewing the skills ecosystem; a partnership approach to ensuring a skills system that is responsive to changing needs; promoting awareness of careers and opportunities in green jobs, green skills and transversal skills; and developing a skilled workforce. The aim of the plan is to help to create an effective skills ecosystem that will be responsive to the changing needs of our green industries and to build partnerships and networks that will collaborate and meet our skills challenges as well as building career pathways and promoting opportunities in green sectors. Crucially, it will upskill the current workforce and develop a pipeline of suitably trained people for the future. A subgroup will be established for each priority action area that was mentioned to oversee the implementation of those actions, and we are trying to identify a suitable date to launch the action plan. I hope that that will be in the coming weeks.
I thank the Member for his question. As the Member will be aware, low-carbon and green industries is one of our priority sectors, and we are working with industry to develop an action plan for the sector. As he mentioned, it not only includes skills but looks at the wider issues. For example, we are aware of the report that Cornwall Insight published on some of the capacity issues that the Member has referred to. Departmental officials are engaged in that, and we will work collaboratively with industry to address some of those challenges. The Member will be aware that the consultation is out on the socialisation of grid connection charges. That is one action that we, as a Department, are taking to address some of the constraint issues, because investment in the grid will be required to take on the additional renewable capacity that is needed not only to meet our targets but, essentially, to deliver our low-carbon future.
613 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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