Last week’s announcement on the future direction of public procurement should be of particular interest to employers across the energy, utilities and waste sectors.
The headline has understandably focused on proposed changes to the way government contracts are assessed. If implemented from January 2027, organisations bidding for major contracts could be expected to place greater emphasis on demonstrating how they create jobs, develop skills, support apprenticeships and contribute to addressing workforce shortages in the communities they serve.
For many years employers have been telling us that one of the biggest barriers to growth is not a lack of ambition or even investment, but access to the skilled people needed to deliver at pace and at scale. Whether the challenge relates to attracting new entrants, replacing an ageing workforce, filling specialist technical roles or developing skills for emerging technologies, workforce capability has become a strategic issue for organisations across our sectors. And it is now being recognised in public procurement as an issue the industry needs to solve to stay competitive.
In 2025, employers came together through the Energy & Utility Skills Partnership to develop the Energy & Utility Skills Strategy 2025-2030. Built around four strategic pillars, Research, Attract, Develop and Retain, the strategy provides a practical framework for addressing workforce shortages and strengthening long-term competitiveness across the sector. These priorities align directly with the capabilities the Energy & Utility Skills Group already delivers on behalf of industry. The result is not simply a strategy, but a proven mechanism for turning workforce ambition into measurable outcomes.
Through our research and insight capability, enhanced by our role as the sector’s recognised standards-setting body, we help employers understand workforce demand, emerging skills needs and future risks. Through Energy & Utilities Careers & Jobs, we support attraction by helping employers reach new talent and promote careers across the sector. Through Energy & Environment Awards and EUSR, the sector’s UK-wide register of safety and competence for more than 300,000 workers, and industry recognised training programmes, we support workforce development through qualifications, apprenticeships and industry recognised training programmes. Through our network groups, industry collaboration and commitment to sharing best practice, we support employers to retain talent and build more resilient workforces.
Across the UK, employers face the paradox of significant workforce shortages existing alongside high levels of unemployment and economic inactivity, including large numbers of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). For our sector, addressing this challenge is not simply a social responsibility but a business necessity. Through our workforce intelligence, policy engagement and industry programmes, we work with employers, governments and partners to help create clearer pathways into skilled employment. This includes supporting sector entry initiatives, developing employer-led workforce solutions and helping industry engage with underrepresented talent pools.
At the same time, we work closely with the Migration Advisory Committee, providing evidence of the workforce pressures facing employers and helping ensure government has a clear understanding of the skills challenges affecting our industries. While migration will continue to play an important role in meeting immediate workforce needs, long-term competitiveness will depend on our ability to create more domestic routes into employment, attract new entrants and develop the skills our sectors will need in the future.
Supporting that evolution requires practical delivery capability. Through our work on occupational standards, qualifications and apprenticeships, we help ensure workforce development remains aligned with industry needs. Our network groups enable employers to share best practice, identify emerging workforce challenges and collaborate on solutions that improve recruitment, skills and retention. We are also creating new pathways into employment through sector entry programmes, helping employers connect with people who may not otherwise have considered careers in our industries. Looking ahead, the forthcoming invitation to tender for the potential Sector Platform represents the next phase of this work, bringing together careers, jobs, talent and workforce development in a more connected way. Together, these initiatives are strategically aligned to the Skills Strategy and form core deliverables that support both our members and the wider industry.
Paul Cox, Group CEO of Energy & Utility Skills Group said:
“The collaborative approach sits at the heart of what we do. Through membership, employers gain access to workforce intelligence, sector-wide initiatives and opportunities to shape the conversations that affect future workforce policy. Members are working together to better understand workforce requirements, identify priority occupations and create clearer routes into the skilled careers our sectors depend upon.
Across the Partnership, employers are sharing workforce intelligence, contributing to sector-wide initiatives and helping shape practical responses to some of the most significant workforce challenges facing our industries. That collective approach creates benefits that extend well beyond individual organisations. It helps strengthen workforce resilience across entire sectors while providing employers with access to insight, collaboration and solutions that would be difficult to develop in isolation.”
Membership of the Energy & Utility Skills Partnership provides access to sector intelligence, policy engagement and collaborative initiatives that help organisations address workforce challenges strategically. Professional registration provides visible evidence of competence, professionalism and investment in people. Through engagement and membership, organisations can ensure that they are ready for changes to public procurement.
As public procurement evolves, organisations will increasingly be judged not only on what they deliver, but on the jobs, skills and opportunities they create. With a 20% weighting attached to these outcomes in major contracts, workforce development is becoming a source of competitive advantage. Whether through membership of the Energy & Utility Skills Partnership, participation in our network groups and workforce programmes, or engagement with Energy & Environment Awards qualifications, apprenticeships and industry recognised training programmes, employers and partners have an opportunity to strengthen the evidence, capability and workforce impact that will increasingly differentiate successful organisations from their competitors. For skills providers, training organisations and apprenticeship partners, the growing emphasis on developing UK talent presents significant opportunities to support industry while expanding the reach and impact of workforce development across the sector.
For more information about how membership can support your procurement, recruitment and retention ambitions please contact us at membership@euskills.co.uk.
