Scotland Opens $13M Energy Transition Skills Hub in Aberdeen
September 29, 2025
Scotland’s largest Energy Transition Skills Hub, a $13.3 million facility featuring a welding academy, advanced manufacturing zone and digital training suites, was officially opened in Aberdeen on Monday by First Minister John Swinney.
The Hub is the anchor project of the Skills Campus in the city’s Energy Transition Zone and will support 1,000 people into jobs focused on energy transition in its first five years.
The facility has been handed over from ETZ Ltd, which led its delivery, to North East Scotland College (NESCol). Training has already begun, with 42 welding students and 27 engineering students enrolled this academic year. The Hub will also provide part-time, evening and weekend courses to widen access for local communities.
“Ensuring a pipeline of expertise and talent will be key to unlocking Scotland’s energy transition and securing the highly skilled workforce of the future. The Energy Transition Skills Hub will be transformational in building on that proud reputation and positions the city and wider region as the go-to location for people seeking to develop energy skills of the future,” Swinney said.
The project received $6 million from the Scottish Government’s Just Transition Fund, $2.4 million from Shell UK, $667,700 from NESCol, $534,100 from ECITB and $200,000 from SSEN, alongside ongoing support for ETZ Ltd from the Scottish and UK governments.
“The Energy Transition Skills Hub in Aberdeen is part of our UK Skills Transition Programme to support 15,000 people into jobs, with a focus on the energy transition by 2035. Together with our hubs in Pembrokeshire and Fife, this facility will support around 5,000 learners across the UK
“Today’s launch in Aberdeen marks a major milestone for the North East of Scotland and demonstrates the power of collaboration between industry, education, and government in building a skilled future energy workforce,” added Simon Roddy, Shell UK’s Senior Vice President – Upstream.
