Electricity network operator, SP Energy Networks, showcased the importance of growing green skills and jobs across the North West when it welcomed politicians from Liverpool City Region All-Party Parliamentary Group to the Wirral.
Mick Whitley MP for Birkenhead, Margaret Greenwood MP for Wirral West and Wirral Councillor Gillian Wood, Deputy Portfolio Holder Net Zero, joined Liam O’ Sullivan, SP Energy Networks Manweb Licence Director and ScottishPower colleagues at Hoylake House – the principal ScottishPower Training Centre serving Merseyside and North Wales.
Hoylake covers all aspects of training from initial craft and engineering trainee programmes to advanced electrical protection courses and renewable technologies.
This includes training and safety authorisation for more than 100 local employees to enable them to work safely on the electricity network, as well as training and authorisation for around 300 supply chain contractors who work in the Liverpool City Region.
During the visit, the politicians met apprentices and trainees and heard first-hand about some of the projects they will be working on as SP Energy Networks invests almost £50 million to help transform the electricity network across Liverpool city region and deliver net zero.
Liam O’Sullivan said: “Ensuring our network not only remains safe, reliable and resilient, but can seamlessly embrace the low carbon technologies that will allow us all to live cleaner and greener lives is at the heart of this unprecedented level of investment in our local electricity network. To deliver on these ambitions, we need the people, skills and expertise that will not only support the region’s clean energy future, but will – hand in hand – deliver jobs and economic growth.
“Over the past year, we’ve directly recruited more than 100 green jobs within our wider Manweb region and there will be many more to come as we continue to progress our investment programme over the next few years. And that’s not just jobs for the engineers and electricians you see in hard hats and hi-vis, there’s a whole range of supporting and office-based roles that are just as crucial.
“We are committed to working with Liverpool City Region to develop, recruit and retain the skills and knowledge required to maintain and upgrade our electricity network for years to come and boost economic growth for the region. Hoylake was the perfect place to bring that to life and show how we are investing in green jobs for the future.”
Margaret Greenwood MP said: "I was delighted to visit the ScottishPower training centre in Hoylake and see the work that goes on there. The apprenticeships on offer are incredibly important for the maintenance and development of electricity supply networks and for future green jobs.
"The training in working with electricity supply networks has to be high calibre and it was good to hear first hand from apprentices about how much they value the training that they receive. I was also pleased to hear that there has been a concerted effort to encourage women as well as men to take up apprenticeships.
"I would encourage anyone with an interest in working in the sector to visit the ScottishPower website: www.scottishpower.com.”