Devolved Administrations
Working in partnership with devolved governments and skills bodies across Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland to ensure consistent standards, aligned qualifications, and evidence-led workforce planning.
Working Across the UK
On behalf of members and industry, the Energy & Utility Skills Group works in partnership with devolved governments and skills bodies to ensure consistent standards, clear pathways and evidence-led workforce planning across the four nations. While policy and delivery are devolved, the workforce is UK-wide. By working collaboratively, we support both local priorities and national ambitions.
Scotland
Our collaboration with Skills Development Scotland (SDS) focuses on developing the skilled workforce needed to deliver Scotland’s energy transition, infrastructure priorities and long-term economic growth. We bring together employers, policymakers and training partners to provide evidence on workforce demand, skills gaps and emerging occupational requirements across the sector.
A key area of joint activity is the development and alignment of occupational standards, qualifications and apprenticeships. Working with SDS and employers, we have reviewed the National Occupational Standards that underpin critical power sector apprenticeships, including cable jointing, overhead line and substation roles, helping to improve consistency between Scottish and equivalent programmes elsewhere in the United Kingdom. We have also supported the development of new power engineering qualifications and apprenticeship pathways designed to meet the future needs of Scotland’s electricity networks and clean energy workforce.
We also work with SDS on emerging workforce requirements linked to clean energy and infrastructure delivery. This includes supporting industry-led work on occupational profiles, career pathways and future skills requirements, alongside collaboration on hydrogen-related workforce development through the Hydrogen Skills Alliance and Hydrogen Skills Framework.
This collaboration supports a shared ambition to create clear career pathways, improve workforce mobility, strengthen apprenticeship and qualification provision, and ensure employers have access to the skilled people needed to deliver Scotland’s energy, water and infrastructure ambitions.
Northern Ireland
Energy & Utility Skills Group works closely with the Department for the Economy (DfE) Northern Ireland to support workforce development across the energy, water and wider infrastructure sectors. Our relationship is centred on supporting the delivery of Northern Ireland’s Green Skills Action Plan, providing workforce intelligence, labour market insight and employer engagement to help ensure that skills provision reflects current and future industry requirements.
We are actively engaged with the governance and delivery structures supporting the Green Skills Action Plan and contribute to discussions on workforce planning, skills development, career pathways and employer demand. Through this collaboration, we help bring together industry evidence and employer perspectives to inform policy development and implementation, ensuring that workforce considerations remain central to Northern Ireland’s green economy ambitions.
The Energy & Utility Skills Group Chief Executive is a standing member of the Green Skills Action Plan Steering Group, ensuring that the needs of employers responsible for delivering essential services and critical infrastructure are represented at the highest level of strategic discussion. Through participation in the Steering Group and associated working groups, we support collaborative action between government, industry and education partners to strengthen workforce capability and support economic growth across Northern Ireland.
Wales
Energy & Utility Skills Group works with Welsh Government, employers and stakeholders to support workforce development across Wales’s energy, water and utilities sectors. Our engagement focuses on ensuring that workforce planning, skills development and labour market intelligence are embedded within major infrastructure, energy and economic development initiatives, helping to ensure Wales has access to the skilled workforce needed to deliver future investment and growth.
Through our workforce research, demand forecasting and employer networks, we are helping demonstrate the importance of aligning project pipelines, skills provision and workforce planning so that future investment delivers both infrastructure outcomes and long-term employment opportunities for Welsh communities.
We continue to engage on skills policy, apprenticeship reform and workforce development issues affecting employers operating across Wales. This includes sharing workforce intelligence, supporting discussions on skills provision and helping ensure that devolved approaches continue to reflect employer demand while maintaining consistency in occupational competence and workforce mobility across the United Kingdom.
Through this work, Energy & Utility Skills Group helps bring together employers, policymakers and skills partners to ensure Wales’s workforce needs are considered alongside investment decisions, creating stronger foundations for economic growth, clean energy delivery and essential infrastructure development.
Moving forward
Across the devolved administrations, our focus is consistent: to provide credible evidence, convene partnerships and make a positive difference. We will continue to deepen collaboration with governments, regulators and skills bodies in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales to ensure every part of the UK workforce can deliver the essential services of the future.
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