EDF announces new jobs as REA expects job jeopardy

Two contrasting stories impacting on skills needed in the energy related construction industry have surfaced at the same time. The first concerns the £1bn of investment EDF intend to make in preparation work at Hinkley Point power station in Somerset. 700 new people will be needed by the end of the year and this seems to represent a kick start to the Nuclear related recruitment that promises to develop. On the other hand the Renewable Energy Association has voiced its concern that thousands of solar power related jobs that are expected to be created have been put in jeopardy. This is because the Government have ordered a review into subsidies into the solar industry known as the Feed-In-Tariffs (FITs) and this, it is feared, may drive investment abroad at the expense of jobs in the UK. In EDF’s case as well the longer term investment by them and thousands of future jobs depend on the Government introducing market reforms in the nuclear sector. Both these stories demonstrate how difficult it is to predict how quickly future infrastructure recruitment will take to get of the ground and how much influence the Government has before it does. Whilst dealing with the long term the Coalition must keep the wheels oiled along the way or risk delaying the recovery because of a lack of real front line construction jobs. sean@mcginley.co.uk