Energy & Utility Skills and The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking a shared commitment to help more young people discover careers in the clean energy and utilities sector.
The scale of the workforce challenge is significant. The Energy & Utility Skills’ Skills Strategy 2025-2030 estimates that the energy and utilities sector will need to attract and recruit 312,300 people by 2030. This includes 205,500 new roles as the sector grows, alongside 106,800 people needed to replace those retiring from the workforce. More than half of this demand (162,000 people) will initially be for roles at RQF Level 3 or below, highlighting the scale of opportunity for young people entering the sector through vocational, technical and entry-level pathways.
This workforce challenge sits alongside a growing national youth employment issue. The Office for National Statistics estimates that over one million young people aged 16 to 24 in the UK were not in education, employment or training (NEET) between January and March 2026, equal to 13.5% of that age group. The deeper challenge is young people’s growing detachment from the labour market. Nearly 60% of young people who are NEET are economically inactive, meaning they are not only out of work but are not currently looking for work.
The link between these two challenges is clear: a sector with hundreds of thousands of future roles must reach a generation of young people who may not yet see where they fit. Educating young people about career opportunities in energy and utilities, from apprenticeships and traineeships to technical, operational, digital, customer and project roles, will be critical if the sector is to build the workforce needed for clean energy, water resilience, and essential infrastructure delivery.
The partnership brings together Energy & Utility Skills’ sector expertise with CEC’s extensive careers education network across England. Together, the organisations will work to improve awareness of the opportunities available in the sector while strengthening links between employers, educators and young people.
Opening Doors to Clean Energy Careers
The agreement sets out several areas of collaboration designed to make it easier for young people to understand the wide range of careers available across clean energy and utilities.
One of the first priorities will be developing 25 youth-focused occupational profiles. These will provide clear information on entry routes, qualifications, progression opportunities and the skills needed for different roles, helping careers professionals, educators and young people better understand the sector. This matters because the sector’s future demand is not limited to highly specialised or graduate-level roles. Workforce demand estimates show that by 2030, the sector will need 86,900 people at RQF Level 3, 12,800 at RQF Level 2 and 62,300 at RQF Level 1, creating substantial opportunities for young people entering through apprenticeships, technical education, traineeships, college routes and direct entry pathways.
The organisations will also work together to support the Clean Energy Attraction Campaign, promoting apprenticeships, traineeships and other entry-level opportunities through CEC’s network of Careers Hubs, schools, colleges and employer partnerships. CEC reports that 96% of secondary schools and colleges are now members of Careers Hubs, and that young people are more than twice as likely to report awareness of apprenticeships between Year 7 and Year 11, rising to 79%. This gives the partnership a practical route to reach young people earlier, improve understanding of technical pathways and connect employer demand with future talent.
Stephen Barrett, Director of Membership & Strategic Engagement, Energy & Utility Skills, said:
“As the father of a teenager, I know how easily young people can miss the opportunities that are right in front of them, if no one helps make those pathways visible. As a business leader, I also know our sector cannot meet its future workforce needs unless we act now. This partnership is about turning statistics into opportunity and helping more young people see that a career in energy and utilities can give them purpose, progression and a real role in shaping the UK’s future.”
Working Together to Strengthen Careers Education
Alongside raising awareness of career opportunities, the partnership will encourage greater employer involvement in careers education.
Alongside The Careers & Enterprise Company, we will share best practice, support employers to engage with schools and colleges through recognised frameworks, and deliver webinars to help organisations understand how they can play a greater role in inspiring future talent. The partnership will also create opportunities to share research and insight, helping both organisations better understand how young people view careers in the sector and where further support is needed.
John Yarham, Chief Executive, The Careers & Enterprise Company said:
“Too many young people are still unaware of the breadth of opportunities available to them, particularly in sectors that will be critical to our future. Our partnership with Energy & Utility Skills will help bring the world of work closer to young people, giving them greater visibility of the routes into clean energy and the skills they need to succeed.
By connecting employers with schools, colleges and Careers Hubs, we can help more young people understand where these opportunities could take them and make informed, ambitious choices about their next steps.”
Looking Ahead
As demand for skilled people across the clean energy and utilities sector continues to grow, collaboration has never been more important. The evidence is clear: by 2030 the sector will need 312,300 new people, while more than one million young people aged 16 to 24 are currently outside education, employment or training. This is both a workforce challenge and a social opportunity. By bringing together employers, educators and careers professionals, this partnership will help ensure more young people can see where they fit and how they can build rewarding careers in the sector.
Want to work with us? Contact our team today to see how we can partner with your organisation to help the next generation.
