By Kristy Dorsey
More than a fifth of workers at SSE have switched from high to low-carbon careers, according to latest figures published by the Scottish power firm.
The company, which is committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, questioned 6,685 of its employees as part of its “Just Transition” strategy. As of September, 1,081 had moved from a high to low-carbon role within the last 10 years, while a further 336 moved across more than a decade ago.
SSE noted that as many as two-thirds of control room staff at its Beatrice offshore windfarm in Caithness are former oil and gas workers, while its gas-fired Peterhead power station is part of plans to develop one of the UK’s first facilities equipped with carbon capture technology. The report found a “clear transferability” of skills from high-carbon roles, particularly in areas like project management and health and safety.
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“The climate emergency demands action but that means big changes in people’s lives – and livelihoods,” chief executive Alistair Phillips-Davies said.
“We knew many former high-carbon workers had already joined SSE to work on low-carbon projects and we wanted to understand how easy was it for them and what could SSE, and others, do to make the transition smoother – both for the benefit of SSE, and in the interests of a fair and just transition in the UK and beyond.”
The top reason listed by employees for making the switch was better long-term career prospects, followed by the opportunity to work on exciting projects.
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