Skills for the Green Economy

Our funding for colleges, universities, and innovation centres is a powerful tool, equipping Scotland with the essential skills and knowledge to accelerate its transition to a net-zero future.

By investing strategically in education and innovation, we’re unlocking the potential for economic growth, job creation, and a sustainable future for all. By supporting existing areas of the economy to adapt and change to new policies and practices, as well as giving all learners access to highly relevant, cutting-edge skills, our institutions are the driving force behind SFC’s contribution to decarbonisation and Scotland’s Just Transition to Net Zero.

The Skills and Coherent provision team works with a wide range of stakeholders across colleges and universities, employers, multi-disciplinary working groups and industry representative bodies, including Skills Development Scotland; Transport Scotland; The Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council; Making Scotland’s Future; and the Construction Skills Public Sector Network.

We support skills provision in a wide range of industries including renewable energy; the hydrogen economy; transport decarbonisation; peatland restoration; sustainable agriculture; and retrofit. Through SFC funded learning and teaching provision in colleges and universities, our investments in programmes like Energy Skills Partnership and our innovation centres, including Built Environment – Smarter Transformation and The National Manufacturing Institute Scotland, SFC continues to invest in Skills for the Green Economy, supporting collaboration in different ways, to support different sectoral needs.

Scotland’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET)

The Scottish Government’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET) aims to create a thriving, equitable, and sustainable economy. Key goals include:

• Economic Growth: Stimulating economic growth through entrepreneurship, innovation, and the development of new industries.
• Job Creation: Creating high-quality, well-paid jobs, particularly in emerging sectors like green energy.
• Poverty Reduction: Reducing poverty, especially child poverty, and improving social and economic outcomes for disadvantaged communities.
• Skills Development: Ensuring that people have the skills they need to succeed in the modern workforce.
• Wellbeing Economy: Prioritizing wellbeing and fair work to create a more balanced and sustainable economy.

To achieve these goals, the strategy outlines five key policy programmes:

1. Entrepreneurship: Fostering a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation.
2. New Markets and Industries: Developing new markets and industries, particularly in the green economy.
3. Productivity and Innovation: Improving productivity and innovation across the economy.
4. Skills: Ensuring people have the skills they need for the future workforce.
5. Wellbeing Economy: Reorienting the economy towards wellbeing and fair work.

The strategy emphasises the importance of collaboration between government, businesses, and other stakeholders to deliver these goals.

The Green Industrial Strategy (GIS)

The Green Industrial Strategy outlines Scotland’s plan to capitalise on the global transition to Net Zero. The strategy focuses on five key opportunity areas:

1. Maximising Scotland’s Wind Economy: Leveraging natural resources and existing expertise to expand the onshore and offshore wind sectors, including floating offshore wind.
2. Developing a Self-Sustaining Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) Sector: Building on geological storage potential and subsea engineering expertise to capture, use and store CO2.
3. Supporting Green Economy Professional and Financial Services: Expanding Scotland’s role as a global centre for green finance and professional services.
4. Growing the Hydrogen Sector: Utilising renewable electricity to produce and export hydrogen and hydrogen-related products.
5. Establishing Scotland as a Competitive Centre for Clean Energy-Intensive Industries: Attracting and supporting clean energy-intensive industries that can benefit from Scotland’s renewable energy resources.

To achieve these goals, the strategy emphasises the importance of:

• Prioritising resources and investment: Focusing on areas with the highest potential for growth and impact.
• Co-ordinated policy: Aligning energy, climate, and economic policies to create a supportive environment for green industries.
• Partnership working: Collaborating with public institutions, businesses, industry, investors, and academia to drive innovation and growth.