Extra funding for skills intervention expansion.
Workers directly impacted by the cessation of refining at
Grangemouth are to receive additional targeted support to help
them transition into new jobs.
INEOS O&P employees who were part of shared services for
Grangemouth oil refinery and are directly affected by its closure
will be able to receive support from Forth Valley College to
develop skills for emerging sectors.
The intervention builds on what was put in place earlier this
year for refinery workers. That has already enabled more than 300
Petroineos workers made redundant to access careers advice and
training and brings the total projected investment from the
Scottish and UK Governments up to £2 million.
Workers have been offered a wide range of training opportunities,
including renewable energy upskilling courses and wind turbine
engineering courses, paid for and supported by the UK and
Scottish Governments. This will provide them with the vital
skills needed to secure new jobs, including in the clean energy
sector – which currently supports more than 47,000 jobs in
Scotland.
The move supports a key action in the Scottish Government's
Grangemouth Industrial Just Transition Plan – which seeks to
position the area as a global leader in green energy and
sustainable manufacturing.
Climate Action and Energy Secretary said: “It is vital that we
do what we can as a government to support and promote local
opportunities and growth in the Grangemouth area.
“As Scotland's leading industrial cluster, Grangemouth has long
played a vital role to our economy and bringing energy security
to the country and it is only right it continues to help
lead the way in our journey to net zero through new, green energy
opportunities.
“This funding will help affected workers move into sectors such
as offshore and onshore wind, hydrogen and carbon capture.”
Minister for Energy said: “We want to
ensure workers directly affected by the closure of Grangemouth
refinery get the tailored support they are entitled to, with over
300 already receiving advice and training to help them into new
employment opportunities.
“This training guarantee will equip this highly skilled workforce
to transfer their experience into new sectors as Scotland
continues to lead the way in the UK's clean energy future,
alongside our ongoing work to secure long-term industrial future
at the Grangemouth site.”
Unite Scottish Secretary Derek Thomson said: "The additional
support for Grangemouth based workers will deliver targeted
assistance for those facing redundancy due to the closure of the
oil refinery. The investment by the Scottish and UK governments
for retraining will provide INEOS workers with some reassurance
that they are not being left behind.
"It will help support them for new job opportunities in the wider
energy sector. Unite will continue to do all we can to encourage
government, public bodies and companies to deliver a Just
Transition for Grangemouth workers and this investment is a step
forward in that campaign.”
Background
Grangemouth Just Transition
Plan
A recent Strathclyde University
study found that Scotland's renewable energy industry and its
supply chain supported more than 47,000 jobs and supported £15.5
billion of output in 2022.
