NCO Plastic Smart Card Banner

Centrica and Energy & Environment Awards Strengthen UK’s Energy Workforce with Five-Year Partnership

Energy & Environment Awards has announced a new five-year partnership with Centrica to deliver end-point assessments for two critical apprenticeship standards: Dual Fuel Smart Meter Installer and Gas Engineering Operative – an essential step as the sector faces an urgent need for 211,900 new technical and professional roles by 2030, as identified in the Energy & Utility Skills Partnership’s 2025–2030 Skills Strategy.

As a leading provider of regulated qualifications and end-point assessments for safety-critical and technical skills, Energy & Environment Awards will ensure apprentices meet rigorous industry standards. Centrica will benefit from a tailored approach, including a dedicated Service Delivery Coordinator who will oversee a seamless process from onboarding through to post-cohort reviews.

This collaboration underpins Centrica’s nationwide apprenticeship programme, with more than 1,500 apprentices expected to complete these two standards over the next five years, resulting in the partnership playing a pivotal role in supporting the recruitment and development of a skilled workforce.

The Dual Fuel Smart Meter Installer apprenticeship is instrumental in the UK’s journey to net zero, enabling the widespread rollout of smart meters – essential for improving energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions, and empowering consumers to manage energy use more effectively. By developing skilled installers, this programme ensures the workforce is prepared to meet growing demand and deliver on national sustainability goals.

Colin McDermid, Academy Training Manager – Engineering at Centrica said:

“We are delighted to announce that we have awarded a five-year contract to Energy & Environment Awards to deliver our End Point Assessments as a critical part of our Dual Fuel Smart Meter Installer and Gas Engineering Operative apprenticeships. Energy & Environment Awards’ deep understanding of the energy and utilities sector, their commitment to excellent service delivery, access to technical experts as well as a personal customer service were strong factors in our decision-making process. We’re looking forward to working with Energy & Environment Awards over the next five years to support our strategic apprenticeship delivery plans across all our British Gas Academies.”  

Rachel Thomas, Managing Director at Energy & Environment Awards, added:

“We are very much looking forward to working with Centrica for both Dual Fuel Smart Meter Installer and Gas Engineering Operative apprenticeships and supporting them to deliver the best outcomes for their apprentices.”

Learn more about partnering with Energy & Environment Awards to support your apprenticeship programmes and help build a skilled and safe workforce across the energy and utilities sector.

Energy & Utility Skills Group signals major capital intent as sector platform testing enters final phase

At its Group Board meeting on 28 January, Energy & Utility Skills Group affirmed its intent

Energy & Utility Skills Logo

Energy & Utility Skills Group Pricing – 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027

We are writing to let you know about changes to Energy & Utility Skills Group membership

Group of apprentices

Collaborative End-point Assessments to Build Skills for the UK Utilities Workforce 

The energy and utilities sector is working together to shape the UK’s low-carbon future, and employers

Male Engineer Measuring Components In Hi Tech Engineering Plant

Energy & Utility Skills Group Urges Government to Keep Sector Priorities Central in Post-16 Skills restructure

The Government has sought evidence on how to structure post-16 skills and education pathways. Stephen Barrett,