- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the implications of projected oil and gas job losses by the early 2030s on the required scale and pace of delivery of the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme.
Answer
The Scottish Government is deeply concerned by any planned job losses in the oil and gas sector.
We continue to monitor and consider a range of evidence in relation to Scotland’s energy system. As part of this approach, we review reports on employment from industry, trade unions and other bodies. We have also commissioned and published independent analysis on Scotland’s Energy System and Just Transition. This analysis considers the economic impact of Scotland’s oil and gas industry, including in terms of employment, during the transition to net zero. A partial update of the baseline data underpinning this analysis was published in April 2025.
The Energy Skills Passport is an industry-led tool to support oil and gas workers to identify training pathways into key offshore wind sectors. It is one tool in a wider landscape of support for Scotland’s oil and gas workers. For example, the Passport is complemented by the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund (launched in July 2025 as a joint initiative from Scottish and UK Governments) which offers tailored careers advice and funded training for eligible workers looking to build the skills needed for work in Scotland’s sustainable energy sectors.
In the unfortunate event of any employees facing redundancy, the Scottish Government will also always offer and provide support through the Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE). Through providing skills development and employability support, PACE aims to minimise the time individuals affected by redundancy are out of work.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what targeted actions are being taken to increase uptake of the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme among workers in the North East Scotland region.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40612 on 7 October 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what the timetable is for publication of the outcome data
on the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme, also broken down by what data will
be included.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40633 on 7 October 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what communication and promotional activity was carried out for the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme in the initial months following its launch on 22 January 2025, and what the communications plan is for 2025-26.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40612 on 7 October 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on (a) communications and (b) marketing for the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme since it was launched on 22 January 2025, and what the planned spend is for 2025-26.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40612 on 7 October 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to its news release of 22 January 2025, Energy Skills Passport, how the £3.7 million allocated to the pilot scheme has been apportioned, broken down by (a) software development, (b) project management, (c) consultancy, (d) hosting, (e) marketing, (f) evaluation and (g) other costs.
Answer
The Energy Skills Passport received Scottish Government funding via the Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray over the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24. In total, £3,703,610 was drawn down. A breakdown of spend in the relevant financial years is provided in the following table:
Financial Year | Spend |
2022-2023 | £1,871,968 |
2023-2024 | £1,831,642 |
TOTAL | £3,703,610 |
Funding allocated by the Scottish Government to the Energy Skills Passport was not apportioned by the categories outlined in the question. All grant payments are based on the conditions set out in the relevant Grant Award Letter and the terms of the Scottish Public Finance Manual.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many career paths are currently mapped through the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme and when it expects full coverage to be achieved.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40612 on 7 October 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what targets it has set for job transitions supported
through the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme for each of the next three
years, and how it will report progress.
Answer
The Passport is one tool in a wider landscape of support for Scotland’s oil and gas workers – which all support the shared outcome of a just transition for this valued and highly skilled workforce. For example, the Passport is complemented by the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund (launched in July 2025 as a joint initiative from Scottish and UK Governments) which offers tailored careers advice and funded training for eligible workers looking to build the skills needed for work in Scotland’s sustainable energy sectors.
The Passport is an industry led project, and the Scottish Government does not hold detailed information on operational and reporting matters. For such queries, we recommend directly contacting the lead industry bodies - Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) and RenewableUK (RUK).
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme is being integrated with other just transition programmes, including retraining grants, regional employability services and industry deals.
Answer
The Scottish Government has already invested more than £120 million in the North East through the Just Transition Fund and the Energy Transition Fund to support the region’s transition to net zero. This funding has helped create green jobs, support innovation, and supported the highly skilled workforce of the future.
As part of this, the Scottish Government has supported the initial phases of industry led development of an Energy Skills Passport by providing £3.7 million through the Just Transition Fund over the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24.
The Passport is a tool to support oil and gas workers to identify training pathways into key offshore wind sectors. It is one tool in a wider landscape of support for Scotland’s oil and gas workers. For example, the Passport is complemented by the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund (launched in July 2025 as a joint initiative from Scottish and UK Governments) which offers tailored careers advice and funded training for eligible workers looking to build the skills needed for work in Scotland’s sustainable energy sectors.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what additional public funding, beyond the initial £3.7 million announced in its news release of 22 January 2025, Energy Skills Passport, it has committed to the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme, and what representations it has made to the UK Government regarding the scheme getting support from Great British Energy.
Answer
The Scottish Government has supported the initial phases of industry led development of an Energy Skills Passport by providing £3.7 million through the Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray over the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24. There are no plans at this time for further funding from the Scottish Government.
We nonetheless remain a close project partner and Scottish Government officials engage regularly on the Passport with the lead industry bodies, Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) and RenewableUK (RUK), as well as with UK Government officials.
Following the launch of an initial version by the industry lead bodies in January, the Scottish Government is looking forward to now seeing the Passport develop further and provide more options and pathways for workers to transition between sectors. Success during “phase 2” of the Passport will require it to be fully supported from a range of bodies, including UK Government.