Project 4b

Project staff: Tim Foxon, Andy Gouldson, Nicholas Jagger and Richard Perkins

Background

Past energy transitions and infrastructure investments have had cost and time overruns as a result of skills shortages. The low-carbon transition will involve relatively rapid energy transitions and intensive infrastructure investments. Ensuring sufficient and appropriate skills are available will be vital to the success of the transition.

Objectives

The project looks at the processes and institutions involved in forecasting and providing the necessary skills for the low-carbon transition, and examines their governance and appropriateness. The project also aims to identify any potential skills bottlenecks, and whether elements of the transition can be optimised in terms of the generation and use of these skills.

Approach and outcome

The project will use a series of semi-structured interviews with stakeholders and an ongoing literature and policy review to gather evidence, backed as necessary with secondary data analysis.
The projects will produce a series of low-carbon technology case studies, supplemented by overviews examining the interaction between the technologies and related skills profiles.