Growing the Energy Skills Sector

That the Parliament recognises what it sees as the achievements of the Energy Skills Partnership (ESP); understands that the ESP is a collaboration of colleges across Scotland that aims to increase the skills capacity in the energy sector by working with industry and government to establish a high-performing energy community that can respond flexibly and be responsive to skills’ requirement; notes the example of Ayrshire College, which  has introduced a wind turbine technician diploma in response to the growing number of wind turbines in Ayrshire; recognises that what it sees as both the rapid growth in the renewable and low-carbon sectors and the continued high levels of activity in the oil and gas sectors has placed a much greater emphasis on the need for skills, and considers that this model can support an increase in the numbers of employers recruiting from educational institutions, which would be  in line with the recommendation of the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce.