NEARLY 50,000 people need to be recruited into the energy sector in Scotland over the next 30 years to help the UK reach its net zero target, the National Grid has warned.

And it is the "continued growth" of on-shore and offshore wind power which will drive the need for Scottish jobs by 2050, according to the company's new study.

But the Unite union, which has become increasingly concerned about green jobs going abroad, said government reform of the energy sector in Edinburgh and London is urgently required first if the nation is to gain from the predicted new jobs.

The analysis completed with the help of research partner Development Economics, says that the energy workforce jobs required will include civil, mechanical and electrical engineers, data analysts, machine learning experts and skilled tradespeople.

New roles linked to electric vehicles, hydrogen and carbon capture technology will also emerge as the UK aims to meet legal targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

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The changes would also include an increase of electrification to support a widespread shift to electric vehicles as well as the introduction of low carbon heating for millions of homes.

The National Grid said that Scotland has a "crucial role" to play in the UK's efforts to combat global warming.

But the report warns of recruitment challenges because a fifth of employees in the energy sector are due to retire by 2030. The energy industry also faces difficulties through a limited pipeline of young people choosing science, technology, engineering and mathematics qualifications.

It also warned of issues with a competition for skilled workers from other sectors, such as finance and technology. The report warns: "Transforming the UK’s energy system to meet our net zero target is one of the greatest challenges the country faces.

"To succeed we must be single-minded in our focus and collaborative in our approach to building a skilled and motivated Net Zero Energy Workforce. It’s the job that can’t wait."

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It comes amidst growing concern about whether Scotland is making the financial most of the green drive, after a ministerial summit was convened earlier this month to end what unions describe as the "scandal" over Scotland's green revolution being increasingly placed in foreign hands.

It has been confirmed that Paris-based GE Renewable Energy, a division of the Boston-based multinational General Electric, was awarded a major project in the creation of one of the country’s biggest offshore wind farms, the £2 billion Neart Na Gaoithe (NnG).

And it is working collaboratively with two Dutch-based companies on the offshore wind farm project which is now being jointly run by French state energy giant EDF and state owned Irish energy company ESB.

In November, the Herald revealed Scotland had already missed out on hundreds of millions of pounds of work in the creation of the wind farm off the Fife coast.

A ten-year-old Scottish Government report said that the offshore wind sector alone offered the potential for 28,000 direct jobs and a further 20,000 jobs in related industries, as well as £7.1bn investment in Scotland by 2020.

Unite Scottish Secretary, Pat Rafferty, said of the latest analysis: “The Scottish and UK Governments must undertake fundamental reform in the energy sector or the jobs estimate by the National Grid will be the latest unfilled goal in the so-called green jobs revolution.

"The UK and Scottish Governments must actively support a 'just transition' in order to achieve net zero emissions. The central part in delivering this objective will be to ensure that jobs are directly created in Scotland through a coherent and co-ordinated industrial agenda with a green skills strategy at its core.”

He said it was "essential" the UK government reforms the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme, the main mechanism for supporting low-carbon electricity generation, which incentivises investment in renewable energy by effectively guaranteeing prices for renewable energy suppliers.

Mr Rafferty said that job creation and local economic benefit targets should be established in future CfD auctions.

Research carried out by YouGov has found that people of all ages, from all regions across the UK, are “looking for a job with environmental purpose”. More than eight in 10 women and seven in 10 men have said they are keen to play their part in tackling climate change. Over half of adults are specifically looking to work for an organisation that is helping the UK to achieve its climate goals.

Across the UK, the energy sector will need to recruit 400,000 workers if it is to meet the 2050 net zero target.