Members across the UK-wide Energy & Utility Skills Partnership (EUSP) are accelerating investment in AI and digital capability as they prepare the workforce needed to deliver unprecedented infrastructure investment over the next decade.
To support this ambition, a new Level 4 AI & Digital Transformation apprenticeship has been identified as a practical solution to help industry close a growing digital skills gap across the energy and utilities sector. Brought together by Energy & Utility Skills Group this apprenticeship is being piloted by The Clancy Group in partnership with Baltic Apprenticeships.
The Clancy Group is a construction and civil engineering firm operating across the UK’s energy and water networks. Baltic Apprenticeships is the UK’s largest independent digital apprenticeship training provider. The new solution gives employers a scalable route to build digital, data and AI capability across their workforce, while making more effective use of apprenticeship levy funding.
As AI and digital technologies continue to reshape roles, skills and business models across the sector, the need to develop these capabilities at pace has become increasingly clear. The sector is already working to recruit a minimum of 312,000 new people by 2030, and ensuring that future workforce is equipped with digital, as well as technical, skills is now a critical part of meeting that demand.
The initial pilot between The Clancy Group and Baltic Apprenticeships has already demonstrated strong appetite for digital upskilling, with over 65 Clancy Group colleagues expressing interest. The strength of that early response reflects a wider sector need for structured and recognised routes into AI and digital capability, and gave both organisations the confidence to scale the approach through this wider partnership.
Turning levy into strategic workforce investment
Additionally levy transfer has been identified as a complementary solution to support industry to maximise the value of their apprenticeship levy whether directly used or transferred for wider sector benefit and impact.
Through Baltic Apprenticeships’ existing levy transfer capability, employers can make use of existing levy transfer arrangements, where appropriate, to maximise the impact of apprenticeship levy investment.
This solution supports a more strategic use of levy funding, enabling employers to:
- invest in AI, digital and data capability
- build workforce readiness for future demand
- ensure levy funding is put to good use within the sector, rather than returned unspent
This solution aligns with priorities set out in the EUSP Skills Strategy, including optimising skills investment and strengthening workforce capability to support long-term sector resilience.
Steve Barrett, Director of Membership & Strategic Engagement, Energy & Utility Skills Group, said:
“AI and digital capability are becoming core workforce requirements alongside technical competence. Employers are looking for scalable solutions that strengthen capability today while making better use of apprenticeship levy investment. These solutions do exactly that.”
Matt Cannon, CEO, The Clancy Group, and EUSP CEO Council member, said:
“Digital transformation is already shaping how we operate, and ensuring our workforce has the skills to adapt and lead that change is critical. The pilot with Baltic Apprenticeships gave us a clear, practical route to start building that capability within our own organisation, and the level of interest we saw made the case for taking this further.”
Tony Hobbs, CEO, Baltic Apprenticeships, said:
“We are proud to be working with Clancy and the wider Energy & Utility Skills Partnership to deliver solutions that respond directly to industry need. Organisations are looking for structured ways to develop digital capability, and this apprenticeship is designed to provide exactly that – combining technical skills with real-world application.
By supporting employers to navigate levy transfer and access high-quality training, we can help accelerate the development of AI and digital skills where they are needed most.”
We see this wider partnership as an important next step in strengthening both our workforce and the wider industry.”
Looking ahead
As demand for digital and AI capability continues to grow, these solutions provide a recognised foundation for scaling skills development across the sector.
By enabling employers to strengthen their workforce while making more effective use of existing levy investment, these solutions supports both immediate capability needs and longer-term workforce resilience.
EUSP has identified these solutions through engagement with employers as practical examples of approaches that members may wish to consider within their own workforce strategies.
