Chamber and committees

That is fine—it was unfair of me to throw in that question at the end, after talking about a subject where there is a solution that involves breaking down some of those barriers. Do the other witnesses want to talk about barriers to accessing upskilling and reskilling opportunities?

There has been a great deal of debate about it. The oil and gas sector is the obvious sector to talk about, because, inevitably, there will be job losses in that sector. If we are to ensure that our workforce is skilled to take on alternative employment—we call that a just transition; there are lots of phrases used for that—what skills are needed to ensure that people are equipped for those alternative green jobs?

I certainly agree on that point. Mark Logan, could I have your comments?

We understand that there are uncertainties about the jobs of the future, but what is stopping that mapping process taking place now?

That would be helpful—thank you.

Am I out of time, deputy convener?

Thank you, convener. Good morning. I will address an issue that has been touched on already. Katy Heidenreich talked about a managed transition and others referred to a just transition, not just in obvious sectors such as oil and gas, but across all sectors in the journey to net zero. Therefore, what key skills does Scotland need to equip people to deliver a genuinely just transition? How does the pipeline for those skills look? I want to hear from all the witnesses on that, but I will start with you, Katy, as you represent the obvious sector in that regard.

I will go around the witnesses in the order that I can see them. Paul Hunter, do you have any comments?

I am conscious of time, so I will put my final question to Katy Heidenreich, given that she is in the sector to which I refer, although I appreciate that there is a wider issue here.

Parliament recently held a debate on the need for an offshore training passport, which highlighted that there were barriers to the recognition of training and qualifications across employers in the offshore oil and gas industry. Are there any other such barriers that might limit workers’ ability to access upskilling and reskilling opportunities?

Yes. There has been a great deal of discussion about a just transition as part of the journey to net zero, so what key skills does Scotland need to equip people with in order to deliver a genuinely just transition? How does the pipeline for these skills look?

Good morning. It is probably fair to say that the businesses that are represented here today are very much engaged in the journey to net zero. However, as Gordon MacDonald highlighted, that might not be the case for every business, particularly over the past two years, in which surviving has, obviously, been a real challenge.

I want to pick up on support. Michael Cusack raised ideas about extra support in relation to VAT and a carbon tax. My question is for the other panellists. Is there enough support—finance in particular—out there to support you on the journey to net zero? If there was one other thing that you could get from the Government or elsewhere to support you, what would it be?