Clean Energy: The Answer to the Graduate Job Crisis? | Redbrick News

Features Editor George Spraget questions Local Energy and Jobs Minister Martin McCluskey on Rosebank, AI, and graduate job prospects

Publishedat 15:02 on 13 November 2026
Last updatedat 16:12 on 13 November 2026
Images byAmerican Public Power Association
, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

On Thursday 12th November, University College Birmingham hosted a Clean Energy Jobs Fair, attended by the government’s Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh, and Local Energy and Jobs Minister Martin McCluskey, alongside employers from the clean energy industry

On the day that Andy Burnham announced ‘a new era of British leadership on climate change’, critics argue that this is contradicted by the increasing suspicion that his government will approve plans to drill the Rosebank oil field in the North Sea, which developers predict would release 250 million tonnes of planet warming gas into the atmosphere

When asked if he personally endorses the oil drilling, McCluskey told Redbrick, “I haven’t got a role in that decision, so I can’t say”, but ensured that a government decision was imminent, stating “Rosebank is a quasi-judicial decision and the Secretary of State is going to make a decision on that soon.”

The project was originally approved in 2023 under the Conservative government, before a court ruled that a more detailed assessment of the field’s environmental impact was required last year. McCluskey referenced this, stating, “we want to make sure that whatever happens with that decision, we’ve done the process properly.”

When asked if he personally endorses the oil drilling, McCluskey told Redbrick, “I haven’t got a role in that decision, so I can’t say”

As well as sparking backlash from climate activists, the Rosebank question continues to divide the Labour Party, with critics suggesting that the climate damage the drilling would create would not be overridden by any potential benefits, whilst the plan’s proponents, which include Selly Oak MP Al Carns and supposedly Chancellor John Healy, point to energy security and job opportunities as key advantages.

McCluskey, who has been the MP for Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West since 2024, echoed national energy security concerns, stating, “we can’t be reliant on volatile fossil fuels that are coming from places like the Strait of Hormuz and previously Russia; we need to make sure we are reliable and resilient in this country.” Britian’s reliance on global energy markets and need for greater energy security has been exposed by the surge in prices following the Iran war, but the key question remains whether this drive for British self-sufficiency will involve North Sea oil drilling as well as Britian’s clean energy developments.

Whilst McCluskey acknowledged that the global consensus on climate change from “just four or five years ago” has broken down, he took pains to reassure young people with concerns over Britain’s climate policies that the Labour government is “running as fast as possible to make sure the UK maintains that role in international [climate action] leadership.” He pointed to the new wind and solar energy sources that are being developed “every single day,” ensuring that clean power “is the real direction of travel” for the government.  Andy Burnham welcomed £12 billion investment from two major new UK offshore wind projects ahead of COP31, believed to be the biggest in UK history.

 

As well as the direct climate benefits of Britain’s shift towards clean power, McCluskey described the “significant opportunity” for graduates that the clean energy industry provides

As well as the direct climate benefits of Britain’s shift towards clean power, McCluskey described the “significant opportunity” for graduates that the clean energy industry provides. This comes as Andy Milburn is expected to recommend an investment of billions of pounds into more employment support for young people alongside moving under-25s off the main sickness and disability benefits. Previous surveys have suggested that graduate job vacancies dropped by 50% in 2025-26 and that 1 in 10 students now plan to move abroad for better opportunities after graduating.

The UCB careers fair is the latest in a series of events across the country aimed at promoting clean energy job opportunities and was attended by over 400 young people and job seekers. This follows the government’s 2025  Clean Energy Jobs Plan which promised that “a generation of young people across Britain will benefit from the good jobs and high wages that the booming clean energy economy can bring.”

The minister emphasised the hundreds of thousands of jobs available in the sector, which is growing three times faster the UK economy as a whole, claiming that in the West Midlands alone, 15,000 more people will be employed in clean energy by 2030. 31 priority jobs are in particular demand as part of the plan, but McCluskey pointed to the range of jobs available: “everything from people installing heat pumps in homes, right up to the engineers who are working on high voltage transmission in Scotland.”

The event was attended by representatives from businesses at the forefront of the clean energy drive such as Rolls Royce, National Grid, and Octopus Energy. Guy Newey, CEO of Energy Systems Catapult, said, “Every young person at this fair is a potential founder, innovator or entrepreneur. By joining a UK clean energy firm, or starting their own, they could help deliver cleaner energy, tackle fuel poverty and power growth right across the UK.”

AI plays an increasingly pivotal role in the clean energy drive but remains a paramount concern amongst some students regarding its own environmental impacts. McCluskey acknowledged the “huge potential” for AI use in the sector and pointed to the recent budget’s Data Centre Covenant, which stated that the UK will require 6 Gigawatts of AI data centre capacity by 2030 to protect national interests and ensure that Britain “remains in the conversation internationally.” The covenant listed some of the benefits AI data centres can bring to Britain’s energy industry, such as supporting grid resilience and flexibility, lowering household energy costs, and creating future jobs.

When asked about the environmental impacts of AI data centres such as water and energy use – large data centres can consume up to 5 million gallons of water per day, equivalent to the water use of a town populated by 10,000 to 50,000 people – the minister told Redbrick “everything we’re doing about [AI] is about being as responsible as possible… we’re in a really good position to be able to deploy this safely, but it has to be done in a way that benefits and respects local communities.”

McCluskey credited the interest and urgency around climate action amongst young people, but acknowledged that the government, as well as schools, colleges, and universities, needs to do more to spread an understanding of the job opportunities in the clean energy sector

 

 

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Source: www.redbrick.me