School of Social and Political Science

Description

A Just Transition: Bridging Workforce Gaps in the Net-Zero Era; Australia’s Challenge

Marlize Nel, UNSW Sydney

The transition to net-zero has been compared to the industrial revolution in terms of scale and complexity, demanding a global, cross-disciplinary approach. While research indicates that this shift will lead to net job creation, the uneven distribution of opportunities and the pace of job displacement presents significant challenges. In Australia, these challenges are particularly evident in the regions which have long been economic hubs for coal, steel, and fossil fuel industries. As we transition, ensuring that workers in these affected areas have pathways to transition into new roles is critical. This talk will explore two critical gaps in the literature: job creation disparities and workforce skills development, with a specific focus on Australia. It will highlight the importance of strategic workforce planning to ensure that the necessary skills pipeline exists to fill emerging roles and to mitigate the impact of job losses. A just transition requires not only creating and filling new jobs but also ensuring that affected Australian workers can access them through targeted re-skilling, education, and regional workforce policies.

A Just Energy Transition – The Role of Skills in a Just Scottish Net Zero Transition

Kaja Horn, University of Edinburgh

With Scotland’s ambition to become Net Zero by 2045, the idea of a Just Transition has gained traction in the political and academic landscape. The transition to net zero is expected to result in significant socio-economic impacts, particularly for those working in Scotland’s energy industry. In the absence of clarity around the skills constitution of our future workforce, and the acknowledgement of the challenge that comes with transitioning Scotland’s existing energy workforce, the importance of the role of skills in our net zero transition cannot be overstated. The talk presented at this seminar will aim to highlight the potential of integrating skills literature into the academic landscape of Just Transitions and, further, address the complexities around skills planning in the Scottish energy industry.

Knowledge infrastructures in the transition from oil and gas to offshore wind 

Nora Kristiansson, NTNU Trondheim 

Knowledge and competences from the maritime sector, including the oil and gas industry, are considered prerequisites for securing positions in the future offshore wind market. This talk will use the concept of knowledge infrastructures to explore the relationship between the oil and gas sector and the renewables industry, specifically offshore wind.  Knowledge infrastructures are central for understanding how to plan for transitions, such as the shift from fossil fuels to offshore wind, as they highlight the roles of experts, organizations and technologies in facilitating energy transition, and the enablers and barriers to offshore wind development. Based on qualitative interviews with individuals who have transitioned from oil and gas to offshore wind, this study investigates the opportunities and challenges of knowledge transfer – which established routines and practices need to be adapted or abandoned in the transition? The interviewees represent different energy companies with a diverse project portfolio, spanning both fossil fuels and renewables. 

There’s no need to register, but please let mark.winskel@ed.ac.uk know if you’re likely to attend, so we can have an idea about numbers (there’s limited space in the seminar room).

If you can’t join in person, please say if you’d like to join on Teams (we’re hoping attendees will be mostly in-person).