Skills shortage and ageing workforce hampering Scottish transition to net zero

Head of leading trade association insists that training is essential for a greener future in new video for the ECA Electrifying Our Future campaign, launched in February 2025. Training the electrical talent of tomorrow is essential if Scotland is to address the current skills shortage and meet its net zero targets, the Managing Director of Scotland’s largest construction trade association has warned.

SELECT MD Alan Wilson insists that training for electricians must be prioritised to help counter Scotland’s shrinking talent pool and there must be greater support for businesses diversifying into renewable energy. Speaking in a video as part of a new UK-wide digital campaign, Mr Wilson says plenty of apprentices join the industry each year – but it is still not enough to counter an ageing workforce and a rising number of retirements. He tells viewers:

"There's not a shortage of electrical apprentices – indeed for every apprenticeship, it’s probably fair to say we have four or five applicants. However, the fact is that we do have a skills shortage of qualified electricians in Scotland, with the average age of an electrician now 34 and a number of people coming to the end of their career. As fossil fuels run out, changes to government policy mean you can't install gas products or must change to an electric vehicle, but how are we going to actually maintain that?"

"If we don't get the skilled workforce we need, how are we going to make sure there are enough people around to install these products? We have to focus on training young people and adult trainees on the fundamentals of electrical installation work, doing it competently, safely and then, if necessary, we can upskill them on the new technologies that are required. It’s also important that support is given to businesses who want to branch out into other parts of work.”

Mr Wilson’s warning comes in a video for Electrifying Our Future, a new digital campaign from SELECT’s southern counterpart, the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA), that explores the critical role of the electrical industry in delivering the UK’s net zero ambitions

In the film – called The Status of Electrical Engineering Talent – Mr Wilson says the pool of potential electricians has halved in his lifetime, telling viewers:

“When I was born, you had 100,000 people potentially to recruit, but you’re now looking at a pool of 50,000. And if we look at the elephant in the room, which is the gender problem in the sector where we’re only recruiting 2% or 3% of women, that means predominantly businesses are now fishing in a pond of 25,000 compared to 50,000 or 60,000 just a few years ago.”

However, in a call to potential new recruits, Mr Wilson also said there had never been a better time to join the electrical contracting industry. He said: “Increasingly, everything is becoming dependent on electricity, whether it be our transport, heat, power or light. So from a career progression perspective, joining the electrical sector now and looking at what's going to happen in the next five, ten or 15 years, the sky's the limit for people joining this sector.”

Currently celebrating its 125th anniversary, SELECT is a strategic partner in the new ECA campaign, which was launched on 27 February.

Produced with sustainable creative agency Content With Purpose, it includes films and interviews on key topics such as the rise of green technologies, the need for skilled workers and the evolving role of electrical contractors on the path to a net zero future.

The series is hosted on a dedicated microsite and highlights the essential steps needed to scale up efforts in the sector, from addressing the skills gap and improving workforce training to adopting emerging technologies and optimising existing low-carbon systems.

Watch the video here.

This article was issued via press release as 'Ageing workforce and shortage of skilled electrical talent could hamper Scotland’s transition to net zero, SELECT MD Alan Wilson warns' dated 10 March, 2025

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