UK hydrogen skills initiative launches

The Hydrogen and Carbon Capture Skills Accelerator (HCCSA) worked with employers and training providers in the North West and South West of England to pinpoint the vital capabilities needed in an emerging workforce and the necessary training courses.

This is part of the UK’s ambition to become a clean energy superpower, supporting 860 000 jobs across the UK by the end of the decade through the government’s Clean Energy Jobs Plan. Hydrogen and CCUS technologies have a key role to play in accelerating the transition to net zero and the potential to help deliver significant economic growth.

The Hydrogen and Carbon Capture Skills Accelerator (HCCSA) was delivered by the Hydrogen Skills Alliance (HSA) – a joint venture between Cogent Skills and NCC – with seed funding from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).

Across two pilot schemes in the North West (hydrogen production and storage and CCUS) and the South West (hydrogen in transport), the Accelerator has:

• Delivered regional collaboration – bringing together key stakeholders, employers and training providers at both regional and national levels to work together to address this challenge.
• Identified critical occupations – identified the roles that will be critical to any transition through consultation with regional and national employers (including those in hydrogen production, storage, transport and CCUS).
• Developed and extended skills frameworks – created a new evidence-based skills framework for CCUS, which identifies and defines the knowledge required for CCUS operations, and mapped the critical occupations to the CCUS and hydrogen skills frameworks.
• Developed short courses and qualifications – developed four training specifications, training courses and two new qualifications to equip current and future workers with the essential skills needed for the emerging hydrogen and CCUS sectors.
• Tested masterclasses – embedded industry experts into training sessions to test new models for transferring employer knowledge into post-16 education. Learners benefited directly, gaining deeper insight into emerging technologies and the future careers available in the hydrogen and CCUS sectors.
• Delivered a Workforce Readiness Index – delivered an evidence base through which to assess the UK’s workforce readiness for the transition to hydrogen and CCUS technologies across 12 UK regions – giving industry and policymakers a clearer line of sight into the workforce conditions shaping the UK’s clean growth ambitions.
• Established interest in the roll-out of the Accelerator Model – tested the appetite for wider roll-out of the Accelerator model beyond the North West and South West, to build a more effective skills landscape to address the emerging needs of hydrogen and CCUS industries.

Head of Skills for Clean Growth at Cogent Skills, Jude Knight, said: “As the initial activity of the Accelerator draws to a close, the UK hydrogen and CCUS economy finds itself at a very exciting phase. Over recent months we have demonstrated how hydrogen and CCUS have enormous potential across a range of industries.

“Now is the time for industry, government and other partners to come together to build on the work the Accelerator has done and begin a national roll-out.”

Head of Strategic Workforce Development Solutions at NCC, Claire Arbery, added: “NCC has been delighted to lead the South West pilot, building on the excellent work already delivered through the Hydrogen Skills Alliance and the skills framework.

“This collaboration has shown what can be achieved when industry and training providers align around a shared goal, helping to define the skills needed to support the UK’s hydrogen and carbon capture ambitions.”

Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/hydrogen/13042026/uk-hydrogen-skills-initiative-launches/