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How to address the skills gap in a future UK hydrogen economy
8/10/2025
8 min read
Feature
The energy transition faces a serious challenge on the skills front. In October 2024, the UK government released the ‘Invest 2035’ industrial strategy. This green paper allocated £21.7bn over 25 years to position the UK as a global leader in carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) and the hydrogen sector. However, a significant skills deficit poses a barrier to investment. A new Energy Systems Catapult position paper suggests mapping the required roles, upskilling and attracting talent to the hydrogen workforce and developing targeted training programmes. Here, Energy Institute (EI) Energy Transition Technical Officer Chimwemwe Kamwela AMEI provides an edited version of the paper.
The UK government has committed to deploy 10 GW of low-carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030, for use in flexible power generation, storage, and green steel and other ‘hard to abate’ industries, with at least half coming from electrolytic hydrogen. The plan involves significant investments, including £500mn for green hydrogen and £1bn for CCUS.
However, there is a notable shortage of workers with necessary STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skills, exacerbated by the rapid acceleration of the energy transition to meet government targets. A recent publication by the Hydrogen Skills Alliance (HSA) identified a need to grow the UK hydrogen workforce to more than 25,000 by 2030.
Reskilling those from more mature industries can prevent loss of experience. Furthermore, specialised courses and training programmes tailored to the hydrogen sector must be developed. Without investment, the UK risks a skills shortage that could hinder the development of hydrogen infrastructure and delay progress towards net zero targets. Collaboration between government, industry and educational institutions is essential to align efforts and resources, ensuring that the workforce is prepared for the demands of the transition to hydrogen.
The implementation of a Hydrogen Talent Pipeline Plan, as proposed by the HSA and Cogent Skills, aims to facilitate the movement of talent to the hydrogen sector by creating pathways for individuals at various stages of their careers. This plan involves identifying and developing the necessary skills, providing targeted training programmes, and establishing clear career progression routes. This will ensure a smoother transfer of skills and a workforce that is well-prepared to meet the sector's evolving needs.
Analysis by the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) indicates that a significant proportion of the engineering workforce already has the transferable skills necessary for working in the hydrogen sector. Key roles in the sector, such as pipe fitters, welders, leak test technicians and design engineers, possess relevant skills to deliver hydrogen projects. However, the workforce is missing experience in the specific context of the hydrogen sector. This can be gained by targeted training on hydrogen-specific equipment as well as gaining familiarisation working with hydrogen gas in place of methane, for example. In this respect, the Connected Competence programme can provide a platform for experienced workers to demonstrate their competency and skills transferability.
The notion of skills passporting to ease the transfer of skills across sectors will provide clearer pathways to experienced workers and enable employers to access the existing talent pool. Although widely developed by OPITO (Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organization) and RenewableUK for the offshore energy transition, there is a significant overlap in skills from the oil and gas industry to the nascent hydrogen sector. Significant competition for the workforce with skills relevant to both sectors will exist in this overlap period. Therefore, the key actors in the clean energy transition must attract a skilled workforce to the hydrogen sector. Siting hydrogen skills hubs in strategic locations with a historical link to the oil and gas sector, such as the Hydrasun hub in Aberdeen, is an opportunity to attract experienced professionals to the industry.
Developing targeted training programmes
Three actions are proposed: launching specialised courses and training programmes tailored to the hydrogen sector, establishing regional centres of excellence for hydrogen skills development, and leveraging local expertise and resources.
The CATCH programme in the Humber is an example of an organisation that fosters collaboration with local industry and educational institutions to provide the key skills required for the clean energy transition. Humber CATCH (Centre for Assessment of Technical Competence Humber) is a £12mn technical training facility in Stallingborough that provides hands-on experience and specialised training to support regional activities, particularly the Viking CCS and Humber Zero projects. The Centre offers apprenticeships in key areas such as pipefitting and welding, as well as programmes for experienced professionals seeking to enhance their current skills.
A cohesive approach between industry and educational institutes is fundamental to ensuring that further education colleges and universities deliver courses in alignment with industry needs. This will enable the development of hydrogen-focused apprenticeships and clear career development pathways for students.
Similarly, regional net zero strategies can create and safeguard hydrogen and net zero jobs. Partnerships between local industries, academics, businesses and political leaders, such as the Net Zero North West collaboration, can provide a holistic vision of clean energy ambition, economic growth and job creation for the region.
Providing financial incentives, establishing clear regulatory frameworks to support the energy transition, and ensuring consistent qualification levels across regions will help create a conducive environment for growth. Establishing a Hydrogen Advisory Council can help create a unified front to advise on policy and develop a strategy.
In the offshore wind sector, an Advisory Council (OWIC) provides strategic direction and industry insights to develop sector-specific training and standards. Creating an advisory body and establishing clear standards will ensure consistency and quality in training and workforce development.
Another important training priority across the hydrogen value chain is in health and safety. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has developed training programmes and safety protocols. HSE’s hydrogen fundamentals training courses cover the fundamentals of hydrogen use, regulations, storage and associated risks to train more than 500 individuals. HSE’s partnerships with companies like Ricardo and higher education establishments such as the University of Ulster highlight the importance of integrating safety training into educational curricula. Additionally, establishing accreditation for training programmes will ensure consistency and quality across the sector.
A strategic vision of hydrogen skills using EI tools and expertise
The following highlights useful developments in the field of hydrogen training, including research at the Energy Institute.
The hydrogen industry is diverse, encompassing roles across engineering, data science, fabrication and specialised fields like hydrogen fuel transportation and safety management. Traditional educational systems and vocational training programmes, however, are often misaligned with these emerging needs. In regions like South Africa, for instance, there’s a heavy reliance on low-skill labour, creating a stark mismatch with the medium- and high-skilled roles necessary for green hydrogen projects. This disconnect is not unique to South Africa; it’s a global challenge that requires urgent attention.
To bridge this gap, experts are advocating the adoption of ‘skills foresight’ approaches. These involve anticipating future skill requirements and aligning training programmes accordingly. By embedding strategic foresight into green skills planning and fostering cross-sectoral collaboration, countries can better prepare their workforces for the demands of a hydrogen-powered future, according to an IDRIC report.
The skills gap in the hydrogen sector also highlights a broader issue: the need for a comprehensive workforce transition strategy. Strategic efforts to reskill workers from fossil fuel industries, coupled with educational reforms to produce hydrogen-ready graduates, are critical steps towards closing this gap, according to IDRIC.
Current programmes often lag behind the latest technological advancements, underscoring the importance of updating standards and qualifications, and diversifying training routes. By offering a range of entry points, such as apprenticeships, vocational training and academic programmes, the hydrogen sector can attract talent from diverse backgrounds, including those transitioning from fossil fuel industries. This approach will help broaden the talent pool and ensure a steady supply of skilled workers.
One of the most promising solutions to the hydrogen skills gap lies in the use of immersive learning technologies. These tools can create realistic simulations of hydrogen processes, offering trainees hands-on experience without the risks associated with real-world operations. This is particularly valuable for upskilling the existing workforce and for training new entrants who may not have prior experience in the hydrogen sector.
A comprehensive report by the Energy Institute (EI) provides a detailed analysis of the challenges facing the hydrogen sector, revealing the need for a significant overhaul in workforce development. This report is part of a multi-phase programme that identifies the skills required throughout the hydrogen value chain, including production, storage and transmission.
The EI report combines desk-based research with insights from industry experts, highlighting the current skills gaps and the urgent need for new training programmes tailored to the hydrogen economy.
Looking ahead, the EI plans to initiate a second phase of its project, focusing on the development of specific engineering and technical skills, as well as related capability frameworks. This next phase will delve deeper into the new skill requirements, exploring methods to update and transfer existing skills while ensuring that the standards, qualifications, and assessments remain responsive to the industry’s evolving needs.
– Chimwemwe Kamwela
- Further reading: ‘Repurposing infrastructure for the energy transition’. Repurposing existing infrastructure such as pipelines to transport alternative fuels such as CO2 or hydrogen can help accelerate the transition while reducing cost and waste. However, repurposing infrastructure is not without its challenges. For both CO2 and hydrogen, repurposing must be demonstrated not to compromise safety. New Energy Institute technical guidance aims to assist industry in this regard.
- Find more about the potential of hydrogen interconnectors.
