One Year Into The Five-Year Strategy
To mark the first anniversary of the launch of the Workforce Renewal and Skills Strategy 2020-2025, the Energy & Utilities Skills Partnership released a report looking back at the achievements of the sector, despite being in the middle of a global pandemic.
Many in the sector were designated key workers and took great pride in keeping the country supplied with clean water, gas and power and managing our waste. Recruitment teams had to learn how to recruit essential workers virtually to ensure the safe operation of utilities infrastructure and as a sector, 33 of the major employers stated their commitment to maintaining their apprenticeship programmes in the midst of the pandemic.
There are six strategic priorities in the Workforce Renewal and Skills Strategy 2020-2025. Each strategy has a dedicated workstream and is led by one of the members of the Energy & Utilities Skills Partnership to ensure that each strategy is given the focus and credence that it deserves.
As a sector we have made good progress, in some of the strategies more than others and that there is still a lot to be achieved. However, there is much for the sector to be proud of. We will continue to be dedicated and focussed, to make the energy and utilities sector a great place to work, with rewarding careers and a workforce which reflects the society and communities that we serve”.
Michael Lewis, E.ON UK Chief Executive and Chair of the Energy & Utilities Skills Partnership
Progress Made Against Strategic Aims
The progress made by EUSP members over the past year under the six overarching strategic aims includes:
- Build public recognition of the sector
- Through Energy & Utilities Jobs, the EUSP has generated 1.6 million ‘opportunities to see’ case studies and sector messages, increasing website traffic over 80%.
- Deliver the competencies and skills we need
- A successful ministerial roundtable with The Department for Education (DfE) and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) was held to support the development of skills as part of the transition to Net Zero.
- A series of ‘deep dives’ into emerging technologies to support the immediate work to upskill the existing workforce and inform the apprenticeships and qualifications of the future
- Delivery of the hydrogen competency framework commissioned by BEIS.
- Support a successful UK economy and society outside the EU
- Between 1 May 2020 and 30 April 2021, just ten sector employers advertised almost 10,000 job vacancies and continued to train and upskill many more.
- Engaged with the Migration Advisory Committee to shape migration laws and processes that could impact the sector’s workforce.
- Contribute to a sustainable and resilient UK
- Technology deep dives, in partnership with the National Skills Academy for Power, to assess three critical elements of the sector where the EUSP anticipates change:
- Hydrogen
- Domestic low carbon technologies and electric vehicle charging points
- Smart networks, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and big data
- Reflect the population that the sector workforce serves
- 48 sector employers signed up to the Energy & Utilities Inclusion Commitment.
- 10 Best Practice Webinars watched by over 700 people
- Sector inclusion measurement framework launched with 28 participating employers.
- Partnership with the BBC 50:50 Project, Ofgem and Energy UK to improve the diversity of sector spokespeople.
- A number of sector employers have committed to the 10,000 Black Interns programme.
- Inspire the next generation to a career within the energy and utilities sector
- EUSP members are operating outreach programmes to schools and colleges.
- Actively working with the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) to provide a sector view of the impact the EUSP’s work has.
“Energy and utilities companies are at the forefront of delivering the UK Government’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, and we’re all committed to achieve net zero carbon targets in 2050, as well as tackling the range of issues presented by the climate emergency. There is clearly more to do, and we are determined to attract, recruit, and develop a diverse workforce to fill the existing and emerging jobs.”
Phil Beach CBE, Chief Executive of Energy & Utility Skills
The Energy & Utilities Skills Partnership
The Energy & Utilities Skills Partnership (EUSP) is a collective of leading sector employers who are working together to “ensure a safe, skilled and sustainable workforce provides the essential services that our customers seek and meets the UK’s needs from the energy and utilities infrastructure.” Established in 2016, the Skills Partnership has acted to address sector workforce needs, most notably with the inaugural Workforce Renewal and Skills Strategy, launched in February 2017, and the Workforce Renewal and Skills Strategy for 2020-2025, launched a year ago
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