Engineering skills for the climate emergency

January 5, 2024

It’s not too late to respond to the challenges of the climate emergency – but only if we fast-track vital engineering skills into our economy before 2030 – The Royal Academy of Engineering explains

Climate change is the challenge of a lifetime, and switching to renewable energy has a considerable part to play in reducing our carbon emissions. The energy industry is changing rapidly, and working hard to make this happen.

“Zero-carbon power outstripped fossil fuel in the UK’s electricity mix in 2020 for the first time since the Industrial Revolution. Back then, Thomas Edison’s Holborn Viaduct coal plant – opened in 1882 and the world’s first coal-fired power station – could light 1,000 lamps” (1) Bertand Aznar said. Today, a single wind turbine rotation off Scotland’s coast can power a home for a day.

But we know we need to do more and continue to focus on transitioning to greener energy.

Tackling the climate emergency: People are the catalyst for change

How do we achieve this? People are the real catalyst for change. They are the innovators who will develop, build, and operate the infrastructure we need to deliver cleaner energy. They’re the engineers and technicians who will continue to provide and implement the solutions and play a vital role in tackling one of the world’s greatest challenges.

Yet, we still need to increase the number of people with the engineering skills required to meet the scale of the challenges of both the climate crisis and the development of an advanced economy. There is still much to do to achieve diversity in the engineering workforce.

In many ways, my own career echoes the path of the energy transition – beginning as an engineer at coal-fired power stations and then gas generation plants across the UK and Europe, moving to lead Offshore Wind projects here in the UK and be part of the UK’s offshore wind success story – and now as President of National Grid’s transmission business here in Great Britain.

I believe this breadth of experience gives me an overview of the entire industry and hopefully means I can advocate for the rewarding opportunities available while demonstrating first-hand the importance of retaining and retraining our existing talent to support the demand for green jobs.

Engineers of the future

As a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, I’m committed to using engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone.

Undoubtedly, engineers will play a key role in reinventing industry, energy, and the world around us. New disciplines will emerge, and familiar ones will evolve. As recognition and understanding of the vital role engineers play in shaping our world increases, so too will the expectations that engineers engage widely and can convey the impact of sustainability on innovation, and how their technical expertise serves to future-proof products and services.

The number of cross-cutting skillsets needed for 21st century engineers are not significantly covered in either academic or vocational education. We need to reframe what and how engineers and technicians think and act, and make systemic changes across education, skills, and employment, using a strong evidence base to demonstrate impact and change.

Building a net zero workforce: Recruit, retain and retrain

National Grid’s Building the Net Zero Workforce report found that our industry must recruit 400,000 jobs between now and 2050. We need a strong pipeline of talent that combines technical expertise, with broader business and leadership skills and a passion for climate action.

The report also found that more than half of UK adults want to work for a company helping the country reach net zero, suggesting this is a large, untapped motivator and passion for people of all ages and backgrounds.

The next 30 years will see the emergence of new jobs, while some traditional roles will change or decline.

That’s why, in the words of the firm Maxwell Drummond, “investment in training existing colleagues and upskilling new recruits will be essential. While this can be achieved through in- house initiatives, external partnerships can support cross-sector training in new and emerging skills such as artificial intelligence (AI)”. (2)

Investing in retention and retraining, plus working collaboratively with government and unions, means the sector can help ensure a fair energy transition, where workers of all backgrounds and ages and from every community in the UK can play their part.

Seeing the great work that the Royal Academy of Engineering is doing to develop a world-leading and truly inclusive engineering workforce is inspiring. Initiatives like the This is Engineering campaign (3) are helping to transform the image of the sector, to attract more young people, from all backgrounds into choosing engineering careers.

Addressing the green skills gap

There is also much work to do to inspire the younger generation to choose STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects at school and to support them in taking engineering and technology pathways into vocational and higher education.

At National Grid, our £1.3 million partnership with social enterprise Connectr, launched as part of the London Power Tunnels project, which is rewiring South London, provides 85,000 students across 168 London schools with the tools to pursue green and STEM-based careers. This is part of our ongoing commitment to help the UK plug its green skills gap and inspire STEM leaders of the next generation.

But, we need collaboration and coordination across a wide range of stakeholders. We need a grassroots movement in schools where children are provided clear examples of where subjects and learning can take them. Practical examples of how mathematics can be applied to everyday life, the role of physics in helping us to understand how the world works, and how chemistry can help to transform lives through the innovation of new products.

Building a diverse workforce that leaves no one behind

A diverse workforce in a supportive environment is crucial to delivering net zero. We need different perspectives, new ideas, and greater creativity to help us solve one of the world’s most pressing current challenges.

In the UK alone, we know that the transition to net zero will create hundreds of thousands of green jobs. However, Boston Consulting Group has found that by 2030, only a quarter of these green jobs may be taken by women. (4)

And yet research has shown that 80% of young girls want their career to make a ‘positive contribution’ to society (5), and 83% of women want to help the UK reach its net zero target. (6)

Lack of diversity, in the widest sense, means we lack a whole range of views and ideas, with the risk that engineering is not reflective of the society in which we live.

We must all do more to promote careers in STEM and ensure our work environments welcome everyone to share their diverse skills, cultures, backgrounds, expertise, and insights.

Collaboration is key

I’m proud of all the work National Grid and the professional engineering bodies have done and are doing to help tackle climate change and enable the transition to cleaner, greener energy in the UK. We know collaboration is key to reducing emissions as quickly as possible – so we are partnering with industry, academics, and policymakers. As we begin this crucial decade for climate action, we must put people, energy, and action at the heart of the solution.