Road to Decarbonisation: H2 Skills to Accelerate the Transition to Net Zero
On the 6th-7th October 2022, the European-funded Interreg North Sea Region HyTrEc2 project and the Erasmus+ HySkills project are joining forces to deliver a two-day hydrogen transport training event, hosted by Aberdeen City Council and North East Scotland College (NESCol) at the NESCol Altens Campus and Cove Hydrogen Refuelling Station.To address the adverse effects of climate change and adhere to the global climate action initiative under the Paris Agreement, the UK aims to be climate-neutral by 2050 – an economy with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Clean transport solutions such as green hydrogen will play a key role in achieving EU energy and climate change targets.
Hydrogen vehicles play a key role in the North Sea Region's energy transition, as they allow for a larger range than electric battery vehicles, which is crucial in more rural regions. However, the current job market requires upskilling to ensure the future labour force is well-equipped with the skills and competency to operate such hydrogen vehicle fleets and other hydrogen-related technologies.
Therefore, the European-funded Interreg North Sea Region HyTrEc2 project and Erasmus+ HySkills project have developed separate hydrogen training modules, which are aimed at supporting the current workforce in gaining the required skills in the field of hydrogen/hydrogen transport. On the 6th-7th October 2022, HyTrEc2 and HySkills are joining forces to deliver a two-day hydrogen transport training event, hosted by Aberdeen City Council and North East Scotland College (NESCol) at the NESCol Altens Campus and Cove Hydrogen Refuelling Station, in order to pilot these training modules.
The event, titled "Road to Decarbonisation: H2 Skills to Accelerate the Transition to Net Zero", will bring together students and staff from NESCol, RGU and the University of Aberdeen as well as representatives from local authorities, the motor trade, haulage industry and hydrogen sector.
Neil Cowie, Principal of NESCol, said: “As one of the largest providers of vocational education and training in Scotland, NESCol puts sustainability at the heart of its curriculum and operations.
“This includes working closely with partners across the North East of Scotland to develop and deliver courses supporting a low carbon economy. The College is a key player in a range of innovative projects and we are committed to our role in developing the skills and knowledge to ensure the region’s workforce is equipped to embrace the significant opportunities presented by hydrogen.”
The modules are based on the HyTrEc2 Skills Framework project findings and are aimed at upskilling the current labour force to be hydrogen-ready. The training modules to be piloted include: Introduction to Hydrogen Safety/Handling, Hydrogen Storage, Applications of Hydrogen as well as a current training on offer at NESCol for electric vehicles.
The hydrogen training day is made possible thanks to NESCol, as well as the European-funded Interreg VB North Sea Region HyTrEc2 and Erasmus+ HySkills projects.