Scotland’s opportunity
Scotland is already a world leader in the energy and engineering sectors and is known for its innovation and talent. This combined with our natural resources places the country in an excellent position to capitalise on the drive to create a sustainable economy and the green jobs that come from this.
The Scottish Government has already highlighted the importance of renewable power to our future prosperity with a target to meet 50% of electricity demand from renewable sources by 2020.
Scotland's natural resources, including water, farmland, lochs and woodlands, are already worth £17 billion per annum to the economy.
At present there are around 80,000 green jobs in Scotland and this is expected to increase by 50,000 over the next 10 to 15 years.
The potential for employment in the green sector is clearly massive. The UK currently has a 4.7% share of the global market in environmental technologies. In comparison, Denmark, with one-twelfth the population, has a 1% share of the global market.
Ensuring that Scotland can benefit from the opportunity offered by the emergence of green jobs will require people with the right skills in the key areas of the green economy:
Some renewable companies are reporting skills shortages, particularly in engineering, again highlighting the importance of having the right people with the right skills if Scotland is to become a world leader. The country’s natural resource base for renewables is extraordinary, even by global standards. It is estimated that, for wind and tidal power, Scotland could hold 25% of the European Union’s total capacity.