The Scottish Government has announced £861,000 in new funding to strengthen workforce training for the offshore wind sector, as part of its £3.85 million Offshore Wind Skills Programme.

The funding will be shared between Ayrshire College, the National Manufacturing Institute of Scotland (NMIS) and STEM Returners, which will deliver training, work placements and career transition support aimed at expanding the pool of skilled workers available to Scotland’s growing offshore wind industry.

The largest allocation, £466,000, will go to NMIS, part of the University of Strathclyde, to launch a pilot Offshore Wind Skills Accelerator programme. The initiative will provide 25 final-year engineering students with paid placements and offshore wind-focused learning opportunities.

The project will also establish a platform connecting talent with employers, aiming to bring together at least 75 pre-vetted candidates, engage a minimum of 15 companies across the industry and its supply chain, and facilitate more than 50 interviews. The programme is targeting at least 25 offers of internships, apprenticeships or jobs.

Meanwhile, Ayrshire College will receive £280,000 to deliver training through the newly launched Scottish Wind Technician Education Centre (SWiTEC), established in partnership with Norwegian training provider Energy Innovation.

The public funding will initially support training for 100 people, including 50 full-time students and 50 participants from sectors linked to the energy transition and supply chain. A further 150 participants are expected to receive support through employer and complementary funding, bringing the centre’s potential reach to up to 250 people.

The remaining £115,000 will go to STEM Returners, which will work alongside Global Underwater Hub on a programme targeting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals seeking to return to work after a career break, as well as workers looking to transfer their experience from other industries.

The Scottish Government specifically identified professionals from the oil and gas, subsea, maritime and defence sectors as having skills that could be transferred to offshore wind. The programme will provide up to 20 work placements with employers, linked to real vacancies across the sector and its supply chain.

Scotland’s Energy Minister Stephen Gethins said the expansion of offshore wind represents an opportunity to create high-quality, well-paid jobs across the country, adding that the projects are designed to address skills needs identified by the industry.

The new funding forms part of the £3.85 million Offshore Wind Skills Programme, launched by the Scottish Government in 2026 to help build the workforce required for the sector’s expansion. With the latest £861,000 allocation and previously approved initiatives, funding awarded through the programme has now reached £2.54 million.