Energy & Utility Skills is working in partnership with the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) to offer support to employees, contractors and apprentices potentially affected by the fallout from Carillion.

The construction, facilities management and maintenance firm has gone into liquidation after declaring debts of over £1bn. Carillion employs 20,000 people in the UK and is involved in the training of apprentices.

The Energy & Utilities Skills Partnership is a collective of 29 leading sector employers that are working together to ensure a safe, skilled and sustainable workforce provides the essential services that our customers seek and meets the UK’s needs from the energy and utilities infrastructure.

Building on Energy & Utility Skills’existing activity with the DWP, the organisation is committed to ensuring its members and their job roles are visible to those potentially affected by future redundancies.

In the meantime employers working across the gas, power, water or waste management industries, can ensure their live vacancies will be seen at Talent Source Network (TSN).

Talent Source Network is an online sector platform that carries vacancies, including apprenticeships, from 20 leading employers in the Energy & Utilities Skills Partnership.

TSN is one of the leading initiatives identified in the Energy & Utilities Workforce Renewal and Skills Strategy launched almost a year ago. The Skills Strategy highlights the way in which the energy and utilities sector can work in alignment with Government departments, policy makers and regulators, to address to ensure a skilled and sustainable workforce continues to deliver essential services throughout the UK. 

Kate Davies, Chief Operating Officer, Energy & Utility Skills, said:

“We are pleased to announce that Energy & Utility Skills is working with the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) to support employees and apprentices affected by the sad news from Carillion.

“We are supporting the DWP and Carillion to share job and training opportunities with those that have been affected and have expressed an interest in a career in energy and utilities.  Talent Source Network will provide a key reference point as it highlights vacancies from 20 leading employers in the UK gas, water, waste management and power industries. This is very much in-keeping with our mission as part of the Energy & Utilities Skills Partnership, to retain and attract skilled talent into the sector.

“Although this is a difficult time for many, we will continue to do all we can as a sector to reassure those facing uncertainty that there are long-term, sustainable and rewarding roles within energy and utilities that require the skills and abilities many affected by recent news will possess.”

The Skills Partnership formed in the summer of 2016 and in February 2017 released the Workforce Renewal and Skills Strategy - the first-ever coherent strategic plan for the continued delivery of clean water, recycling, waste management, gas and poweracross the UK.

Key among its findings is that 221,000 vacancies will open up in the sector by 2027 - approximately 31,000 of these will be newly created roles that will require a more technically advanced workforce. 

The combined energy and utilities sectors account for the greatest share of the UK Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline (2017/18 - 2020/21). The combined share is 43% (£104.8bn) while the next largest category – transport at £78.5bn – represents 29% of the Pipeline.