Grangemouth Industrial - just transition plan: supporting a fair transition for Scotland's core manufacturing cluster

Annex C – Persona Building

Persona 1

‘Jack’

Senior Industrial Cluster Employee

‘It doesn’t matter if this company sells off the site to another one tomorrow. We will still be here because this is our home...’

Just Transition Pulse Check

Current Understanding of Just Transition

Good

Current Sentiment Towards Just Transition

Keen

Key Characteristics:

Personal:

• Born & raised in Grangemouth, current resident & homeowner who expects to stay long term.
• Parents both worked at BP site, and met there.
• Was exposed to BP from school open days growing up.

Professional:

• Senior Team Leader
• Fifteen years or more of experience in the industry since age 18.
• Highly specialised skill set & experience.
• Significantly above average income relative to FK3.

Key Activities/’Jobs’:

• Day-to-day job tasks as part of front-line role including supporting apprentices, other team members.
• Staying up to date with industry/scientific/operational changes.
• Giving back to the community through employer CSR initiatives and on personal time.

Key Behaviours & Attitudes:

• Good memories of town: Grangemouth was immaculate growing up thanks to North Shore and BP oil and gas investments, but issues have brought the whole place down over time.
• Long-term commitment to industry: having highly transferrable skills makes us confident we will be prepared for green energy jobs. and we want to stay.

Drivers & Motivators:

• Identity, hope, and pride: associated with our jobs. Grateful that jobs opened up opportunities that we wouldn’t have as working-class kids from this town.
• High compensation, pensions: lucrative and stable work is great, & we spend money in the community.
• Community belonging: it’s not all about the money, we can make 3-4x in Gulf countries, but our family and friends wouldn’t be there, wouldn’t be ‘home’.
• Community empathy and altruism: tragic stories of deprivation make us want to give back. We volunteer/donate a lot but don’t advertise it, it’s not about credit but the tangible impact on people.
• Values of respect, safety, duty of care: our company culture treats everyone how we would treat our families, this will also guide our decarbonisation efforts.
• Optimism & ‘let’s do it again’ mentality: among those who remember the Grangemouth of the past.

Pain Points:

• Difficult work/lifestyle: ‘continental shift’ is exhausting. physical/health risk exposure, high tension due to controversies surrounding oil & gas.
• Confusion over ‘Green Jobs’: no one has been able to actually tell us what that means.
• Pressure on industry to do more: private businesses are expected to do so much for the community, but the government is not helping as much as they could.
• Frustrating, top-down narrative: people not in the industry or living in town tell us what’s happening to it. Meanwhile we are living a different reality.
• Environmental protestors are disrespectful and misinformed: calling to ‘shut down Grangemouth’ when in reality this site is fuelling our country and giving us the jobs and lives that we have.
• Misunderstood by other parts of society: people look down at oil and gas workers because they don’t know what we do.

Needs & Wants:

• Continued job security: jobs have been highly paid and secure; we hope to have that continue/not compromised.
• Government support: to continue pursuing decarbonisation from within. We are not scared of transition; we are the ones actually doing it at the company led by hard science.
• Collaboration: change should happen with people, not to people. Bring us and young people into the planning process to be part of the solution.
• Improved public narrative: so much negativity around this being a dying sunset’ industry which isn’t reflective of the many positive projects happening internally. People need to see it as a ‘sunrise’.

Desired Future State:

• Industrial policy: to support what we are doing in our jobs from the outside in so it can become real.
• Improved quality of life in the town: infrastructure, public transportation (hydrogen powered), jobs, skills development opportunities, reduction in poverty and drug issues-industry can support but government needed.

Persona 2

‘Chris’

Junior Industrial Cluster Employee

‘The work we do is interesting, and also provides a really good opportunity to get on your feet quickly and make good money.’

Just Transition Pulse Check

Current Understanding of Just Transition

Reasonable

Current Sentiment Towards Just Transition

Keen

Key Characteristics:

Personal:

• Went to high school in Grangemouth and Forth Valley College.
• Parents both worked at BP site and met there. creating early awareness about industry.

Professional:

• Control Room Technician
• Four-to-seven years of experience in the industry.
• Specialised skill set in a specific role.
• Above average income relative to FK3/age.

Key Activities/’Jobs’:

• Day-to-day job tasks as part of front-line role.
• Staying up to date with industry changes. Actively learning & developing new skills. Envisioning career path at company & defining personal goals.

Key Behaviours & Attitudes:

• Happy with career decision: job gave me the opportunity to buy a nice car, a house, and go on holiday every year, good standard of living for a young guy.
• Aware of energy transition: some exposure to green energy ideas from college/work so I understand why transition is important.
• Optimistic about future: senior co-workers seem pretty optimistic about the future of the site which makes me think it’s going to be ok.

Drivers & Motivators:

• Role models: seeing success stories from people in the community working in the industry makes you feel its attainable for you.
• Getting on your feet quickly: after school/ college, the apprenticeship path is a fast way to get on a meaningful career track and gain skills.
• Growth and learning: companies are doing a good job at helping younger employees understand what projects and progress is being made towards decarbonisation, and some of us find that stuff very interesting.

Pain Points:

• High competition for jobs: there are around 26 available jobs for 500 students who might attend an open night which makes it hard to stand. Some people use their family/friends in the community to get in if possible but it’s tough.
• Difficult jobs and lifestyle: we are exposed to physical/health risks, but we are compensated fairly, and it’s easier for younger people to handle.
• Negative media narrative: we keep hearing that oil and gas is dead, but realistically that won’t happen in our lifetimes. We still need to find a way to produce it (e.g., for plastic), and this is confusing and discouraging for young people

Needs & Wants:

• More opportunities for us to upskill on the job: young employees are excited to take on anything new. we just need the time to learn it so we can develop the right skills. Nothing beats hands on learning at work, and we are interested in being part of the solution.
• Continued education/skill building for young people at school: some companies do a good job with schools STEM engagement, and Forth Valley does good job preparation, but the high schools don’t teach much about industry/green energy, and it would’ve been good to be exposed early.

Desired Future State:

• Continued job opportunities for young people: no job losses, site still operational long term.
• More participation for junior employees: opportunity to work on projects outside of their main roles.
• Improved quality of life in Grangemouth: to make it a desirable place to live for future generations.

Persona 3

‘Emily’

Industrial Cluster Apprentice

‘I rather learn the skills hands-on at work than “buy” them from outside...’

Just Transition Pulse Check

Current Understanding of Just Transition

Limited

Current Sentiment Towards Just Transition

Neutral

Key Characteristics:

Personal:

• Went to high school in Falkirk.
• Grew up around Grangemouth.

Professional:

• Mechanical Technician Apprentice
• One year of work experience in the industry.
• Recently decided that she wanted to join this industry and is exploring opportunity.

Key Activities/’Jobs’:

• Participating in the Fuel Change skills development program.
• Learning about industry and how its changing.
• Actively learning & developing brand new skills.
• Envisioning career path at company & defining personal goals.

Key Behaviours & Attitudes:

• Curious about green energy: learning on the job but I don’t understand everything yet.
• Career matters more than saving the planet: young people people’s main priority is getting their life started through a job which is hard enough, then they might get interested in sustainability.
• Why stay in Grangemouth if you can leave? there was survey that apparently showed that 70% of young people want to move away from Grangemouth, and I can understand why if they have opportunities elsewhere.

Drivers & Motivators:

• Hands on work: after years of online learning during COVID, I don’t want to read textbooks or spend time getting a degree I can’t use.
• Stepping stone to other opportunities: if you can work in the industrial cluster in Grangemouth, you can work anywhere in the world. Things like the Fuel Change program also help build confidence and gives a chance to explore skills like public speaking that young people might not know they enjoy yet.
• Entering the industry at a good time: because I’m still learning about the industry. I feel like! don’t have to un-learn old ideas when learning about green energy, whereas I think older people have to do that.

Pain Points:

• High school/university doesn’t prepare students for real world: memorising information to pass exams doesn’t teach any skills needed for real jobs.
• Difficult for young people to understand job market: unsure what’s going on in industry and what employers are looking for.
• Challenging to plan career path: on the other hand, internet creates information overload and teenagers don’t know how to choose from options. or what combination of steps to take.
• Limitations on apprenticeship programs: they only allow people up to age 25, and many young people don’t get their act together before it’s too late for them to join. The system limits their options which isn’t fair.

Needs & Wants:

• Better education & support: around career decisions, industry, jobs, skills through school and other community resources, need to teach this younger before people make the choice for college/uni.
• More problem-solving opportunities: like the Fuel Change program which it was highly engaging and made the green energy conversation exciting and real through activities.

Desired Future State:

• Easier for young people to get their foot in the door: more apprenticeships and work experience.
• Learning, growth and development: more opportunities for young people to work on projects and job shadow so that they are helping build solutions for the future.
• Improved quality of life: in Grangemouth so that younger generations choose to stay here.

Persona 4

‘Andrew’

Concerned Grangemouth Resident

‘Unfortunatly, people will say... what’s another chimney in Grangemouth?’

Just Transition Pulse Check

Current Understanding of Just Transition

Limited

Current Sentiment Towards Just Transition

Apprehensive

Key Characteristics:

Personal:

• Long-term resident of Grangemouth.
• Well connected in community due to decades of relationship building and participation.

Professional:

• Retired
• Never has worked in the industrial cluster

Key Activities/’Jobs’:

• Discussions in community around state of affairs out of personal/social interest.
• Participating in community improvement initiatives wherever possible through volunteering.

Key Behaviours & Attitudes:

• Better in the BP Days: grew up with the smell and smoke, however BP funded everything in those days such as parks, recreation centers. Community not as strong as it once was.
• Apprehensive, sceptical, and apathetic towards government strategic plans: a lot promised to the Town in the past with little action.
• Less economic opportunity now: town used to be much wealthier, but now there aren’t enough entry level jobs for young people, unemployment is high, town centre in decline.

Drivers & Motivators:

• Deep identity and sense of belonging to this Town: why is all the good stuff associated with Falkirk and the bad stuff with us? The Kelpies are in Grangemouth, not Falkirk. Grangemouth used to have a better reputation which I still identify with.
• Scottish working-class culture has helped sustain community bonds: people still help out their neighbours, volunteer to be part of the glitter team, etc. because they care about making it a better place.
• Better future for younger generations: I had a good experience growing up here and want my kids/grandkids to be able to enjoy the same.

Pain Points:

• Industry is disruptive to daily life: the cluster attracts protestors who create a mess, transient workers, truck drivers leaving waste, flares flying, pollution.
• Class divide between industry workers and others: in some cases, some families are living in poverty (e.g., £8.5k/ year), while some are making millions at INEOS.
• Industry wealth not flowing into town: doubt that well-off residents are spending their money here, they have the privilege and mobility to live and spend elsewhere. Big drive- in drive-out (‘DIDO’) population.
• Deprivation in the town affects everyone: so many heartbreaking stories heard all the time especially around food banks and related to drug/alcohol use, widespread poverty limits the local economy from flourishing
• Fatigue from consultations: we’ve provided our opinions but haven’t received feedback. These ‘plans’ are just another thing that ‘happen’ to us.

Needs & Wants:

• Better public communication around Just Transition: people get their info from social media, use it to inform us more, right now we are in the dark, we don’t even understand what just transition means.
• Restore our trust in the government and industry: be realistic with this plan, don’t over promise so that we aren’t disappointed, we want to see faces so come to the community and involve us in the plan.
• Industry needs to give back to the average person: there is so much resentment towards industry because they are in it for their own commercial interests and we suffer the consequences, they need to pay it back and help address the wider issues to repay town for hospitality of hosting them.

Desired Future State:

• A plan that explains Just Transition to everyday people: what transition means, who will benefit, what the specific benefits are, when we will get them, rather than energy jargon.
• Tangible benefits that address biggest community issues: reduce deprivation, create more jobs & local hiring, public transport, infrastructure, better town centre, less disruption from industry activity.

Persona 5

‘Sarah’

Grangemouth Community Organisation Employee

‘There is an unfair disconnect between the Town’s contribution to the Scottish economy and the quality of life here.’

Just Transition Pulse Check

Current Understanding of Just Transition

Limited

Current Sentiment Towards Just Transition

Apprehensive

Key Characteristics:

Personal:

• Lives outside Grangemouth and drives into work.
• Has spent a lot of time embedded in the local community and deeply understands its challenges.

Professional:

• Manager at Local Community Organisation
• Ten years of experience in various community organisations.

Key Activities/’Jobs’:

• Working on community initiatives as part of day- to-day role.
• Actively reviews and interprets impact of government policies and plans on community.

Key Behaviours & Attitudes:

• Need to take people on a journey: we all care about the future of Grangemouth so hope to be involved and engaged more.
• Already feeling left behind: we already feel excluded from industry activity/benefits. concerned that the plan will continue this.
• Change in council funding model has disadvantaged Grangemouth: falkirk Council taking over from Grangemouth Town Council has historically played a major role in reducing funding and opportunities for us.

Drivers & Motivators:

• Empathy for community: there is urgency around the state of deprivation in the town, and we are actively trying to address it through our roles. COVID and the cost-of- living crisis has made life harder here and people need our support more than ever.
• ‘What’s in it for us?’ there are big community challenges to solve, and we will support any plan that convinces us it will help address them. Impact to real lives in the next 6 months matters more than saving the environment over a 20+ year time horizon.

Pain Points:

• Lack of Just Transition Info: communications are very limited right now, so we feel uninformed yet asked to comment on it.
• Tensions with industry: companies aren’t obligated to go above and beyond, but they should show more awareness for context they operate in. Might be doing positive things (recruiting locally. giving back), but people don’t see this, they aren’t transparent.
• Cycle of systemic deprivation too big of a challenge: community organisations can’t fix all issues: complex personal trauma, mental health issues, criminal records, lack of jobs, food. housing, etc faced by people and it’s sad and overwhelming.
• Distance from government decisions: they are too far removed from the day-to-day experience of people in Grangemouth. Decisions around funding and resource allocation further creates inequality which we try hard to work around.

Needs & Wants:

• Government/industry should trust community organisations: involve us more because we are unconstrained by political agendas/ silos. Allowing the key ‘movers and shakers’ in town to be spokespeople for the plan would be effective because people want familiar faces.
• A plan with the right messaging: plan needs to focus on creating a booming economy and not scare people into thinking this agenda pushes them out of jobs or is greenwashing for the sake of it.
• Quick wins: implementing easy to do, visible stuff in town will go a long way in rebuilding integrity.

Desired Future State:

• Real jobs in short term: not in 2030/40 – people are in a critical state and need them now.
• Clear pathway for skills development: close the gap of ‘green’/new skills through programs.
• Improved barriers to employment: better access to childcare & NHS, mental health resources, public transport. Ease of getting a license, opportunities for ex-convicts, etc.
• Economic development outside industrial cluster: easier ways to start new businesses, encourage social enterprises for those who are not qualified/interested in industry.
• A future for young people: more consultation, education, training, considerations for their needs.