BEAMA Press Release:
The Government’s new Clean Energy Jobs Plan is a welcome development in supporting the clean energy manufacturing supply chain to recruit the workforce it needs to scale up, increase investment and develop our industry to deliver real benefits to workers, society and the environment. That is the reaction of BEAMA, the UK’s trade association for energy infrastructure and systems, whose members manufacture the products that the energy transition requires.
To coincide with the launch of the new Plan, BEAMA has published a short video [LINK] including clips from our members’ manufacturing facilities, helping those considering joining the industry to visualise the types of roles are available and the potential of our sector.
Through publications including its quarterly Market Pulse series, BEAMA has kept Government abreast of the skills and workforce needs of the industry, with opportunities and challenges at every career stage, across a wide range of job types and in every part of the UK. We are pleased that the new Plan clarifies the ambition, improves the support and provides the data to support our members’ hiring intentions.
Yselkla Farmer, CEO of BEAMA, said:
“We have a long heritage of manufacturing for the electricity industry in the UK. As a supply chain at the heart of the clean energy sector we know the growth potential is substantial as we electrify our energy system.
“The biggest limiting factor for investment today is the availability of a skilled workforce and therefore we welcome the focus on job creation for our supply chain. For network equipment manufacturing alone our average member expects to double employment by 2035.
“This plan sets the foundations we need to help this statistic rise further. Our members offer good jobs, in an industry rooted in local communities right across the UK; what they need is long term certainty and a commitment to support investment, which this plan targets.”
BEAMA now looks forward to using the Plan as a platform to secure more granularity of data in roles specific to manufacturing, to ensure we can continue to strengthen our domestic supply chain for 2030 and well beyond.
We are also delighted to share some individual perspectives from our member companies, highlighting the real impacts that boosting our industry can have to people:
Name: Simon Melbourne
Location: Belper, Derbyshire
Employer: Vaillant Group UK Ltd
Simon said: "As an engineering technician supporting renewable energy installation engineers with product advice, heating system design, and installation guidance, I've witnessed the clean energy sector's impressive transformation over the past 20 years. From small-scale beginnings to the UK's current mass rollout of renewable heating solutions, this evolution has created job stability and new opportunities for experienced and aspiring engineers to take on roles that are instrumental in driving us closer to our clean heat goals and a sustainable future."
Name: Lydia Battersby
Location: Stallingborough, Lincolnshire
Employer: Myenergi
Quote: "I joined Myenergi because I wanted to be part of something that’s not just innovative, but meaningful. Working in clean energy means every day I’m helping build a better future—and that’s incredibly motivating."
Name: Chris Van Der Schyff
Location: Stone, Staffordshire
Employer: Hitachi Energy
About Chris: Chris, Principal Service Engineer for generator circuit breakers, has worked at Hitachi Energy for 23 years, starting with the company in 2000. As a child, he dreamed of being an engineer within the power industry. He loved the equipment, working with his hands on a mechanical level, and is proud of his job within Hitachi Energy. Over the years, his role has enabled him to travel the world. Chris looks after all the generator circuit breakers in Hitachi Energy, and everything related to them. After his 100th DR Overhaul this month in Ireland, he will be working on replacing the 4th DR breaker with a new FS6 technology breaker (Hitachi HECS) at Dinorwig, a hydropower station in the mountains of Snowdonia.
Notes for editors
- BEAMA is the UK manufacturing trade association for the electrotechnical sector, providing leadership, expertise and independent influence in the areas of product safety, performance, energy efficiency, digital and sustainability. Our activities span a broad spectrum of technology groups, from energy networks through to electrical infrastructure and service technologies in the built environment.
- BEAMA tracks our members’ sentiments on a range of factors including skills and workforce in our quarterly Market Pulse series. Our most recent survey found positive intentions for hiring are tempered by challenges in satisfying salary expectations and overall employment costs, proving the need for the Government’s Clean Energy Jobs Plan.
- BEAMA is working to improve understanding of the workforce needs of the electricity networks sector, working with the ENA and Government on the development of an Electricity Networks Sector Growth Plan.
- Electrical Product Manufacturing currently employs around 90,000 people in the UK, with a turnover of around £14bn.
Contact details:
Policy inquiries:
Simon Harpin, Head of Policy, [email protected]
Media inquiries:
Charlie May, Head of Marketing, [email protected]