RGU professor joins board of UK Engineering skills body

Thursday 21 December 2023

Professor Paul de Leeuw at Aberdeen beach

Professor Paul de Leeuw from RGU has been appointed to the Board of the UK’s Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) for a period of four years. Board member appointments are made by the Secretary of State for Education.

The ECITB works with employers and training providers to give the engineering construction industry workforce the skills it needs to meet the challenges of the future. The ECITB invest around £25 million each year supporting employers to attract, develop and qualify their people in a wide range of craft, technical and professional disciplines.

Professor de Leeuw said: “I’m delighted to join the Board of the ECITB at this crucial time. With the requirement to re-plumb, re-wire and re-purpose the UK’s energy system over the coming decades, the work of the ECITB is absolutely critical to successfully prepare the workforce for our new, net zero future.

“I’m very much looking forward to working with the ECITB team, Board colleagues and our partners to set this all up for success.”

Professor de Leeuw is a senior industry leader and executive with over 35 years’ experience in the global energy sector. He has worked for a wide range of companies and organisations, including Shell, Marathon Oil, Amoco, BP, Venture Production and Centrica.

He is currently the Director of RGU’s Energy Transition Institute (ETI), Chair of the National Energy Skills Accelerator, a government and industry advisor, a Board member of the International School in Aberdeen and a Professor at RGU.

Professor de Leeuw is an experienced non-executive director, with over 25 years of involvement in public, private and voluntary sector organisations. He is also a regular contributor to industry events and a frequent media commentator on issues and developments in the international energy sector.

In September 2023, Professor de Leeuw and his colleagues from the Energy Transition Institute (ETI) published their Powering Up the Workforce report which found that the UK offshore energy workforce can increase by 50% from 150,000 in 2023 to 225,000 with new renewable energy jobs outnumbering oil and gas positions if a successful energy transition can be realised.

This report added to a body of work produced by the ETI on the energy transition with the Making The Switch and the UK Offshore Energy Workforce Transferability Review reports setting out the state of play when it comes to a successful energy transition.