Miliband aiming for 400,000 new green jobs over five years

Plumbers, electricians and welders will be in huge demand as part of a national plan to train people for an extra 400,000 green jobs in the next five years, Ed Miliband has said.

- Rowena Mason Whitehall editor

The energy secretary announced a scheme to double the number of people working in green industries by 2030, with a particular focus on training those coming from fossil fuel jobs, school leavers, the unemployed, veterans and ex-offenders.

He said the plan would involve measures to ensure companies receiving public grants and contracts create good jobs across the clean energy sector. It would also promote greater trade union recognition and collective bargaining in the clean energy sector, including when jobs are offshore.

Miliband's announcement was welcomed by unions, which have been pushing for a more detailed plan for how people will switch from fossil fuel industries to clean energy.

As part of the plan, 31 skilled trades will be designated as priorities for recruitment and training, with plumbers and heating and ventilation installers at the top of the list, with an additional 8,000 to 10,000 needed by 2030. Carpenters, electricians and welders are the next highest in demand on the list, with an extra 4,000 to 8,500 of each required.