Page 13 - Neath Port Talbot Skills Report 2024

Plans for Clean Growth
South Wales is the second biggest industrial and
power emitter of carbon in the UK, with the
location being the UK’s largest steel producer.
The move to net-zero will involve engineering
studies to explore the routes to decarbonisation,
including the use and production of a hydrogen
supply, carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS)
and carbon dioxide shipping from South Wales.
The development of a carbon dioxide shipping
industry would create an entire new industry for
the region and enable the UK to manufacture low
or net-zero carbon cement and steel products.
The current South Wales workforce is highly
productive and skilled.
Many of the roles required to support a hydrogen
economy and CO2 shipping are already in situ
(such as trained process operators, engineers with
technical, operational, maintenance and storage
expertise). However, many of these roles will need
to be upskilled and new roles will need to be
created for emerging markets
Industries already face general resourcing issues
such as an ageing workforce and low interest in
working in industry from younger people.
Now, industries must also manage a lack of
resourcing whilst driving towards net zero. There
is a need to improve resource numbers to write
bids for funding, to improve knowledge of new
technologies, such as for electrification or use of
hydrogen, and more generally for an increase in
planning, environmental, financial and messaging
workloads.
In addition, the future skills requirements for
industries in a net zero world have not been fully
mapped yet, and the development of future
supply chains are still to be understood in an
evolving landscape.
The development of future supply chains, Net
zero transition will create new supply chains,
especially in the renewable sector, which will also
require resourcing
Source: SWIC Plan for Clean Growth:
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