- FOUR SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT MINISTERS TAKING PART
- TALENT OF THE FUTURE IN THE SPOTLIGHT
All-Energy the UK’s largest renewable and low carbon energy exhibition and conference and the co-located Dcarbonise open for business a week today (Wednesday 11 May) at Glasgow’s SEC, with a duo of busy exhibitions through which innovative solutions run like a silver thread; a packed conference programme which has attracted luminaries from industry, academia, and government; and new features aimed at ‘Future Talent’..
This year’s show boasts a more youthful focus than ever before with features aimed at attracting new and re-skilled resource and talent to power an accelerated net zero future. This is thanks to new features such as the Future Talent Hub sponsored by bp and supported by Skills Development Scotland; and the Energy Skills Partnership’s ‘Green Skills for a Net Zero Future’ demo area involving college students. The Research Hub with its presentations by PhD students returns, as does the ever-popular display of academic posters with their authors standing by to answer questions. In the transport decarbonisation area of the show two Shell Eco-marathon teams, one from the University of Strathclyde and the other from the University of Aberdeen will once again be showcasing their ability to rise to the challenge of what is a global academic programme.
Four Ministers is a record
Government involvement with the conference has excelled itself with four Scottish Government Ministers – the First Minister of Scotland, the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport; the Transport Minister; and Minister for Net Zero Buildings, Active Travel, and Tenants’ Rights all taking part over the course of the two-day event..
Jonathan Heastie, Portfolio Director, Energy & Marine, RX Global, owners and organisers of the duo of events explained:
“We will get off to a flying start on Wednesday 11 May with a plenary session in what I know will be a packed Lomond Auditorium. Chaired by Keith Anderson, CEO of ScottishPower it features Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon MSP, a message from COP26 President Alok Sharma currently hard at work travelling convincing nations to commit to the aims of the Glasgow Climate Pact, luminaries from Ofgem, Siemens Energy, Shell SSE, Strathclyde University’s Centre for Energy Policy and from Glasgow City Council; and a recorded address by Greg Hands MP, Minister of State for Business, Energy and Clean Growth..
“From a great ‘coming together’ the conference then splits into 11 parallel sessions on Day 1 with the first sessions embracing offshore wind; hydrogen and fuel cells, energy systems, solar, marine energy, bioenergy, a Just Transition, mobilising finance for ‘places’, transport decarbonisation – which is where Minister Jenny Gilruth MSP will deliver her keynote address; and built environment decarbonisation where her ministerial colleague Patrick Harvie MSP will be speaking. Naturally more topics are addressed throughout the day and in the eight show floor theatres too – they help create a real buzz in the exhibition.
“Day 2 begins with a thought provoking plenary session ‘A national endeavour: Decarbonising the GB power system by 2035’ again with a stellar line-up. Michael Matheson MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport joins us at the next session of the day to deliver a keynote address at the Net Zero Technology Centre (NZTC) inspired session ‘An Integrated Energy Vision economic opportunity: Scotland and global’.
“As well as our 450+ speakers we have some familiar and some new show features. I’m tremendously excited by the idea of involving more young people in and at All-Energy and Dcarbonise. Future talent is hugely important to all of us as we strive towards meeting our net zero ambitions, and the Future Talent Hub in the innovation zone, boasts a programme of sessions focussed around attracting new and re-skilled talent to power an accelerated net zero future. Both employers and candidates will find it of interest.”
Focus on future talent
Highlights of the Future Talent Hub include a panel discussion: ‘Building a career in the energy transition: opportunities and challenges’. This will be moderated by Jo Reynolds, bp Gas solutions geophysicist and co-founder of bp’s Global Sustainability Network, this panel brings together future energy leaders from bp, Solisco, Wood and CIERCO who will share their experiences of building a career to help achieve net zero.
“Those attending will be able to find out what skills have helped them and what they wish they knew when they were starting out. The panel will also discuss what the future energy in the UK could look like, and how careers in energy might evolve,” said Jonathan Heastie.
Other sessions will focus on the new National Energy Skills Accelerator, the Just Transition Skills Action Plan, apprenticeships, energy careers, diversity, equity and inclusion, training, industry collaborations and more. All can be found via the free show App.
Background
All-Energy, celebrating its 21st anniversary, has spent two decades helping the UK to decarbonise its power supply. Dcarbonise, supported by the Scottish Government and Energy Saving Trust, ensures that private and public sector energy end-users gain access to advice and technology to assist them in their plans to decarbonise their buildings, business and transportation.
Registration is at www.all-energy.co.uk with every participant’s badge enabling them to visit both exhibitions, moving seamlessly between them; attend as many conference sessions as they want on 11 and 12 May; get inspiration from the quickfire presentations in the showfloor theatres, visit the new Future Talent Hub, sponsored by bp; and attend the Civic Reception and Giant Networking Evening at Glasgow’s Science Centre on 11 May.
All-Energy has Shepherd and Wedderburn as its headline sponsor with other sponsors including Arnold Clark; bp; ESP; Doosan Babcock; Greenbackers; Natural Power; Petrofac; Red Rock Power; ScottishPower; Shell; and Siemens Energy. The Society for Underwater Technology is its Learned Society Patron, Glasgow is its Host City, and it is held in association with Innovate UK and UKRI; Highlands and Islands Enterprise; Scottish Enterprise; and the REA. Dcarbonise is supported by the Scottish Government and Energy Saving Trust.
Further information on all aspects of the two day event is at www.all-energy.co.uk and www.dcarbonise.com