This latest announcement on apprenticeships follows the recent launch of the major ‘Workforce Renewal & Skills Strategy 2020-2025’ for the gas, power, water and waste management industries. The five-year strategy sets out how through collaboration, the utility businesses and their supply chain partners will tackle the 277,000 vacancies they expect across the sector over the next ten years, while accommodating a fast-changing competency need.
Creating work ready apprenticeships to attract diverse talent was a stated objective of the inaugural Energy & Utilities Skills Partnership ‘Workforce Renewal & Skills Strategy’, which was launched in 2017. The latest 2020 to 2025 publication continues that firm commitment to build a talent pipeline through rigorous and high quality on and off the job training. Apprenticeships remain one of the key ways to develop the skills needed for successful business today and for the future. Since that work commenced, thousands of highly skilled apprentices have emerged to take their place within the ranks of the critical energy and utility workforce.
These apprentices deliver services that help to bring heat, light, power, fresh water, sanitation, remove waste and support recycling for 66.5 million people across the United Kingdom. They bring great value to society, the environment and the economy. The Partnership believe that building inclusive apprenticeship programmes brings clear economic and business advantages. Boosting apprenticeships across the sector’s technical occupations is now paramount, despite a general decline in employer participation in apprenticeships in England. In the last two years, the energy and utilities sector has outperformed the overall UK picture, with over 8000 apprenticeship starts in 2018-19 across the four nations.
In response to struggling industries and employers across the UK who have paused, or are forced to end their programmes, the Energy & Utilities Skills Partnership has stated its commitment to apprenticeships by launching their Apprenticeship Pledge. The pledge is backed by over 25 employers within the sector.
Nick Ellins, the Chief Executive of Energy & Utility Skills who sits on the voluntary Partnership’s leadership Council advised:
” The Energy and Utilities Skills Partnership has set out to make a positive difference to society and is making clear that its long history of investing in apprenticeships remains firm, with employment through this approach continuing to be a key part of utility workforce strategy.”
“We are working together to create an inclusive culture, employ apprentices and build a diverse and sustainable workforce in a sector that is now openly recognised as a critical industry; pivotal to society, to the future of the economy and to solving the environmental crisis. Talented people can make a real difference here, and the employers have a strong pedigree over decades for nurturing talent through high quality apprenticeships, employing people from across our society from entry level to highly skilled.”
Energy & Utilities companies committed to the Apprenticeship Pledge
- Affinity Water
- Anglian Water
- British Water
- Cadent
- Cambridge Water
- Centrica
- Clancy Docwra
- E.ON
- FCC Environment
- Jersey Electricity
- Keltbray Utilities
- Kier
- M Group Services
- National Grid
- Northern Gas Networks
- NIE Networks
- Northern Powergrid
- Northumbrian Water
- Pennon Group
- Scottish Power – Energy Networks
- Scottish Water
- Severn Trent
- SGN
- South East Water
- South Staffordshire Water
- Southern Water
- SSE
- SES Water
- Thames Water
- UK Power Networks
- United Utilities
- Uniper
- Wales & West Utilities
To download the pledge document, click here.
Pledge Your Support
If you are interested in finding out more or signing up to the pledge, please contact communications@euskills.co.uk