A new national mission: why members of the armed forces community are a great fit for renewable energy careers

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7 November 2024

The Government has a ‘national mission’ to achieve clean power by 2030, one which will require a diverse range of people to achieve. One key group of people is the armed forces community, including Reservists, veterans, Cadet Force Adult Volunteers, and military spouses, who can bring valuable skills into the industry that are often overlooked.

The renewables sector employs a wide demographic of people from the armed forces community, with up to one in 5 working in offshore wind, across a diverse range of roles contributing to the energy transition mission.

Why are they well suited to careers in renewable energy?

Service leavers and the wider armed forces community possess a diverse range of abilities that are useful in planning, developing and managing complex renewable energy projects, and they are particularly suited to working around a defined mission goal such as our 2030 ambitions.

A number of roles within renewables are dynamic and involve interesting technologies, people, geographies, and supply chain, which also mirrors military life. In particular, health & safety, high voltage electrical, engineering, vessel operations and project management roles can be a good match for the armed forces community – many of whom will have gained specialist engineering or marine skills that are highly transferrable.

Richard Sykes, Operations and Maintenance engineer at Equinor tells us: “I had a 30-year engineering career in the military before starting work in the renewables sector (initially as a wind turbine technician). Renewables seemed a logical fit after a career in the military with many systems (hydraulic, electrical, mechanical) being relevant to both sectors, so the transition was not too difficult.

More generally however, the mindset of service and soft skills gained can be valuable when transferring to renewables, or indeed other careers after the armed forces.

Marcus Peters Global Head of Offshore HSE at RWE, served for 10 years in the Royal Navy, before moving into working on Health and Safety for nuclear power plants, then the offshore wind industry. He says, ”the military trains you to be adaptable to new environments, technologies and situations, and to be able to deal with dynamic challenges. The adoption of a mindset that can deal with these is embedded throughout your service. Military life also provides you with the ability to integrate into teams quickly, work as part of a broader organisation, but equally to work in isolation with focus to achieve the goals. All of which mirrors the challenges we face within the renewable sector.“

Which pathways are available?

In terms of the transition for service leavers, the industry works on many skills and education pathways to smooth the transition into clean energy jobs. Partnerships and relationships with stakeholders are crucial, such as the Career Transition Partnership, Mission Renewable, and other military charities which aim to help the service leaver transition to their next career. RenewableUK works with the industry and stakeholders to make renewables the industry of choice for service leavers and the broader members of the armed forces community.

A range of potential career paths are available to service personnel and the broader armed forces community, depending on previous qualifications, and these are explored in full in the Mission Renewable Sector Guide.

RenewableUK works in partnership with Mission Renewable to ensure that our member organisations have access to support and guidance in how best to reach out to and facilitate the reskilling, recruitment, and retention of those in the armed forces community into the sector.

Richard Sykes, Operations & Maintenance engineer at Equinor had some prior engineering experience and qualifications that he was able to utilise as he returned to engineering. “My previous qualifications in HSE were identified during my time working offshore and I was employed as an HSE Leader within the company for five years until returning to engineering recently.”

“A number of operators within wind are supporting apprenticeships and this route provides a fully rounded entry into a number of areas within renewables but there are also opportunities for more experienced entrants and, in my experience, an engineering background with an additional competence in safety is also an effective route into the sector.”

Dom Butler, Wind Turbine Technician at Boston Energy decided to retrain with an engineering degree after serving, but this is just one of many paths available.

“Experience with either mechanisms, electrical systems, or some qualifications in either is all that you need in order to be able to put yourself into a position to apply. I utilised my Enhanced Learning Credits (ELCs) to their full capacity by using them to pay for my university tuition fees. But had I not gone down this route, I would have used them to pay for some City & Guilds accredited electrical and mechanical courses plus perhaps a project management course.”

What do people enjoy?

Work-life balance and a structured environment is something many service leavers welcome.

Working hours vary in the renewables industry and there is no one-size-fits all approach. Many are standard 9-to-5 or hybrid roles, some on-site offshore roles have shift patterns (typically two weeks on, two weeks off), whilst some offer the opportunity for UK-wide and global travel, and some can be done entirely remotely. There are also variations across renewable technologies, for example technical roles in onshore wind potentially offer a different work/life balance and work style when compared to roles involving travel offshore for sustained periods.

Dom Butler, who works as a technician on-site, enjoys the regularity of the trips to and from the wind farm. “I live in Hull and commute to Ramsgate for each 2-week shift and my employer pays for a holiday rental for me to stay in close to the control centre…. What I have experienced is that everyone is very talkative, they like to get to know new people and, on a daily basis, and seem to take an interest in other’s lives.”

While working patterns may differ, it is a sense of purpose, of the mission to achieve clean power, that seems to unite the majority of people working in the industry.

Marcus Peters concludes: ‘In the military we have a mission. Being part of the energy transition is a very important mission for society – as ex-military, we can resonate with achieving that mission. It can be more than a job – it’s a career, it’s about changing the world for the better.’

What can organisations in renewable energy do to help and attract member of the armed forces community?

RenewableUK and the Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC) are both proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant, which means we acknowledge the importance of treating those who serve or have served with fairness and respect. Many RenewableUK members have signed the Covenant, and we encourage as many businesses as possible to do so and demonstrate their commitment to ensuring fair treatment to all members of the armed forces community.

Further information and support is available through the Government’s Defence Relationship Management (DRM) service, which works with organisations throughout the country to help them understand the value of signing the Covenant, as well as advising on best practice regarding employing Reservists, veterans, Cadet Force Adult Volunteers, and military spouses.

The work we do with Mission Renewable is designed to help any organisation access the support they need in their work with the armed forces community, including when signing the Covenant and meeting the bronze, silver and gold levels.