Over 1,000 new Renewable Energy job opportunities to be created

The prospect of over 1,700 new jobs in Scotland’s Renewable Energy Sector was announced day, as a direct response of two engineering firms announcing new projects.

Doosan Power Systems plans invest around £170million over the next 10 years developing a Renewable research and development centre in Renfrew near Glasgow. Further they announced the prospect of locating its offshore wind turbine manufacturing facilities there, the Scottish Government said in its e-mailed statement today.

The Government agency Scottish Enterprise expects the new plans could create 1,700 jobs from 500 direct jobs and over a 1,000 supply-side jobs. As with many positions being created we’d assume there would be a mixture of full time and contractor renewable energy vacancies created.

If further discussions are successful regarding the offshore wind turbine manufacturing facilities many more job opportunities will be created.

More positive news for the Renewable Energy sector was announced by Steel Engineering.

The Government has recently invested a £1.8m grant towards Steel Engineering’s £3m investment in a range of clean energy sectors, including offshore wind, wave and tidal power.

Steel Engineering based also in Renfrew, has said it will need to create 120 jobs to support the new project.

Further Steel Engineering has shown an interest in investing in the future of young prospective engineers. They are currently in talks with Skill Development Scotland about developing training school with Anniesland College in Glasgow.

The aim of the training would be to teach welding procedures and fabrication techniques required by the Renewable Energy industry.

Both companies were visited by First Minister Alex Salmond.

Mr Salmond said both announcements were “great news for Renfrew and for the wider Scottish economy”.

He described the Doosan initiatives as “another great stride forward for the Renewable Industry in Scotland – which is now the chosen destination for three energy engineering giants to design their next generation of turbines to service the global offshore wind industry”.

The first minister added: “Scotland also plays a key role in the energy industry supply chain and Steel Engineering are an excellent example of how Scottish companies with great experience servicing the offshore oil and gas industry have been building the renewable side of their business.”

By 2020, the Low Carbon Economic Strategy shows there could be 130,000 jobs in Scotland’s low carbon economy – a doubling of current jobs. Of this, the offshore wind industry could support up to 28,000 directly related jobs as well as a further 20,000 indirect jobs, generating up to £7.1 billion for the Scottish economy by 2020.

The Renewable Energy UK (REUK) explains the industry is struggling to find contractors who hold the relevant Renewable Energy skills, and in 2009-2010 26% of employers said they struggled to fill vacancies, up from only 3% in 2008-2009.

With the creation of so many new positions, demand for contractor’s skills is set to rise significantly. This is favourable news for contractors as they can demand higher daily rates to compensate for the extra workload.

SJD Accountancy, the UK’s largest accountants for contractors with more than 10,000 limited company contractor clients, has recently launched a new section on their website to give advice to potential and existing Renewable Energy Engineers and oil and gas contractors.

The section includes clear, plain English advice on; how to get industry, how to secure a contract, what potential clients are looking for, rates of pay and the benefits of becoming a Renewable Energy Engineer.

In addition, the website has a wealth of knowledge for Contractors. There is simple to understand information on all the frequently asked questions about becoming a contractor, information on tax, and how to make the move from a permanent position.

For more information on moving into the Renewable Energy sector and Contracting please visit:

• Guide to Becoming a Renewable Energy Engineer
• Rates of pay for Renewable Energy Engineers
• Finding a Renewable Engineer Contract
• Contractor Calculator
• Contractor Guides

If you still have questions about contracting then contact our New business team on 01442 275789 or email newbusiness@sjdaccountancy.com.