World Youth Skills Day takes place on 15 July this year, with the UN-led event offering an opportunity to reflect on the skills that are needed today and for the future, in industries across the world.

The workforce of tomorrow, and in years to come, is going to look drastically different from today. As with many sectors, the wider energy industry is making sure it creates opportunities for the needed skills to be developed to reach net zero targets.

But what skills will be needed for the energy workforce?

The UKCS Workforce Dynamics Review: Shaping the Skills of Tomorrow report, developed by OPITO and Robert Gordon University’s Energy Transition Institute, states that based on current projections, there will be a demand for a new generation of industry professionals skilled in areas such as:

• Data science and engineering
• Data analytics and management
• Data systems and governance
• Data security
• Artificial intelligence
• Remote operations
• Robotics and new materials

The report finds that, on the basis that the energy industry can achieve its goals around Vision 2035, the energy workforce requirements are estimated to be around 130,000 people in 2035.

Over 80,000 workers are likely to retire or leave the sector for other reasons by 2035, and more than 40,000 new people will need to be recruited into the industry over the next 20 years, including 10,000 in posts that don’t exist today, according to the report.

There is a world of opportunity waiting for you if you start your career in the energy mix! To find out about which job would suit you, visit our Energy Careers page.