Over a thousand more oil and gas workers will benefit from tailored career support to access good, well-paid jobs in clean energy and other growth sectors, as a successful skills program is expanded across Scotland.
Backed by a total of £6 million from the UK and Scottish governments, the expansion follows a successful pilot scheme in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, which has helped over 400 North Sea workers retrain for roles in Scotland’s energy transition.
Following popular demand, the new scheme will give current and former oil and gas workers living anywhere in Scotland specialist training support, if they wish to transfer their high-value skills into fast-expanding sectors under the energy transition.
The expansion follows the government’s plans, announced last year, to continue to use the North Sea for decades to come, by managing existing oil and gas fields for their lifetime and supporting new investment in oil and gas production through Transitional Energy Certificates.
The government will not continue the same failed approach to the North Sea that it inherited, which saw the skilled workforce fall by a third over the past decade, without the necessary investment in what comes next. By actively scaling up clean energy industries, the government is paving the way for over 40,000 new roles in Scotland by 2030, creating the next generation of skilled energy workers.
These jobs are already hitting the market, as the latest industry figures show that more than 1,500 new jobs were supported in Scotland’s electricity networks in the last two years alone. Meanwhile, 2025 saw jobs in the UK’s wind industry reach a record high of around 55,000, according to Renewable UK.
The scheme is also being expanded to provide training support in other growing sectors, including advanced manufacturing, life sciences, and defense—where the skills and expertise of oil and gas workers are in demand.
Energy Minister Michael Shanks said: “Thousands of good jobs are being created right now in renewable energy and upgrading our grid, and we want to make it as easy as possible for people with skills from the oil and gas industry to take advantage of these opportunities. This program has already been oversubscribed, so we are investing to expand it to more skilled workers as part of our commitment to deliver a fair and prosperous transition in the North Sea.”
Secretary of State for Scotland Douglas Alexander said: “The expansion of the training scheme will support Scotland’s position at the heart of energy production in the UK. The scheme will support more than one thousand oil and gas workers in their transitions into new energy technologies. After a successful first phase, I am also pleased to see opportunities in different sectors, such as defense and advanced manufacturing, are being made available to oil and gas workers in Scotland to utilize their specialist skills and experience.”
Scottish Government Energy Minister Stephen Gethins said: “Scotland has the geography, we have the infrastructure, and above all, we have the people to make the most of the energy transition that is upon us. The workforce that has driven Scotland’s oil and gas industry for generations is one of the most skilled and experienced in the world, and it is vital that their expertise is preserved in the Northeast, and beyond. A just and managed transition means putting workers, and the communities that depend on them, at the heart of the economic benefits created by that transition. That is exactly what this fund intends to achieve by giving people the freedom to take their world-class skills into new and growing sectors, without being held back by the cost of training.”
Eligible oil and gas workers in Scotland will be able to submit new applications for the scheme from today, via Skills Development Scotland’s Transition Training Fund website. Successful applicants to the scheme will receive careers advice and funding toward training courses for highly skilled and in-demand roles such as in welding, electrical engineering, construction, and more.
The expansion forms part of up to £20 million in joint UK and Scottish Government funding, committed as part of the government’s Clean Energy Jobs Plan last year, to provide North Sea oil and gas workers with bespoke careers training for thousands of new roles in clean energy.
Frank Mitchell, Chair of Skills Development Scotland, said: “The skills and expertise of Scotland’s oil and gas workforce are in demand across a number of growing sectors. SDS advisers can help workers in the oil and gas industry to reskill and upskill for careers in growing sectors to help them build on their experience and ultimately transition into new roles. The fund will play an important role in ensuring communities across Scotland benefit as much as possible from the continued growth of these key sectors.”
Workers will soon be able to access support from a new North Sea Jobs Service, announced as part of the UK government’s North Sea Future Plan last year, that will offer end-to-end career support for oil and gas workers to take up new opportunities in growing sectors—ensuring North Sea communities remain at the heart of Britain’s energy and industrial future.
Oil and gas workers are also benefiting from the Energy Skills Passport, in collaboration with industry and the Scottish Government, which helps workers to identify routes into several roles in offshore wind, including construction and maintenance. This will also be expanded to include more clean energy sectors over time.
