A Moment of Opportunity for the Electrical Sector – We Need Your Feedback in the NI Cross Cluster Skills Audit

Northern Ireland’s electrical workforce sits at the core of every major industrial transformation—from offshore renewable energy to advanced manufacturing, maritime innovation, and the decarbonisation of infrastructure.

With major growth forecast across offshore wind, hydrogen, shipbuilding, battery technologies, microgrids, and digital marine systems, Northern Ireland’s electrical workforce has a pivotal role to play. But the region must act now to ensure it has the right skills, in the right places, to capture this economic opportunity.

That’s why we are asking employers across the electrical sector to take part in the Shipbuilding, Maritime, and Supply Chain Skills Survey for Northern Ireland.  This is more than a maritime survey. It is a cross-sector skills call—designed to understand how Northern Ireland can build the talent pipeline needed for emerging opportunities in sustainability, shipbuilding, clean energy, systems integration, digitalisation, and beyond.

This survey, delivered in partnership with the National Shipbuilding Office, the Department for the Economy, NI Maritime On & Offshore (NIMO) and Invest NI, is a crucial step in shaping that future.

Take Part and Encourage Others Across Your Network

While some businesses are not directly engaged in shipbuilding or maritime work, many are critical contributors to the wider supply chain.

We encourage all electrical employers—contractors, engineers, design specialists, manufacturers, and supply chain partners—to participate and share the survey widely. The stronger the response, the stronger the case for targeted investment to support our sector.

Focus on Three Critical Professions

As part of this research, there will be a focused analysis on:

1. Welding
2. Fabrication
3. Electrical contracting/electrical engineering

These three skill areas underpin almost every major industrial and infrastructure programme planned for Northern Ireland over the next decade.

By gathering input from employers and stakeholders, the survey aims to identify:

• The job roles and skills most in demand in the short and medium term.
• The levels of training and qualifications required to meet those needs.
• Where skills overlap across sectors, creating opportunities for upskilling and career mobility.

The data gathered will be used to provide evidence that informs:

• training programmes delivered by further and higher education institutions and private training providers
• policy and investment decisions made by government and industry
• workforce planning to ensure that the right skills are available to support sectoral growth

🔗 Take the survey here:
https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/maritime-and-cross-sector-skills-survey

Thank you for supporting this important piece of work and for helping shape the future skills strategy for Northern Ireland.