Power industry faces skills gap

The UK power industry needs to train twice as many people if it is to meet demand for 65,000 new workers by 2024.

With four out of five employees set to retire over the next 15 years, there are serious questions about Britain's ability to keep the lights on, the National Skills Academy for Power (NSAP) is warning. The engineering and construction industries alone will need between 17,000 and 35,000 skilled staff.

"The extent and size of this skills gap raises serious questions about the capability of the UK power sector to be able to maintain supply over the coming years," Steve Davies, the chief executive of the NSAP, said.

"This may seem like a dramatic statement but coupled with the drive for cleaner power, increasing demand and pressures to seek out more renewable energy sources, it is clear that the workforce in this sector needs significant investment if UK plc is to have the power it requires into the future," he said.