Energy & Utility Skills’ inaugural Conference was held last week to help unite employers in addressing the widening skills gap in the energy and utilities industry, with 180,000 new people in the sector reportedly needed by 2025.
Faced with the difficulty of filling the employment gap, on Wednesday, 17 October over 200 employers from gas, power, waste management and water industries united together at the Energy & Utility Skills (EU Skills) Group’s inaugural Conference to listen to industry leaders speak about this growing issue and how, by working together, the sector can rise to meet this challenge.
“We have a massive challenge ahead of us but with this comes great opportunity,” said Neil Robertson, Chief Executive from EU Skills in his opening speech. Continuing the theme, Neil went on to say; “Skills are the answer but we need employers to guide and lead the way.”
The skills shortage in the sector is being created by a combination of the development and deployment of new technologies and a high proportion of the workforce approaching retirement.
The conference, which was held at the Motor Heritage Museum in Gaydon, Warwickshire, provided a platform for EU Skills to articulate the skills issues inherent within the sector.
Presenting via video link, Matthew Hancock, the new Skills Minister for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) spoke of the Governments continual commitment to the sector. “We are firmly behind businesses that want to get involved with Apprenticeship programmes. We need skills to flourish for the future growth and prosperity of the country.”
With a conference agenda set out to demonstrate the importance and necessity to recruit and train new people to the sector, the line-up of presentations focused on not only why employers should invest in skills but as importantly how they should go about achieving this.
Professor Alison Halstead, Pro Vice Chancellor, Aston University spoke of the need for education establishments to raise their game and to encourage more young people to consider engineering careers.
“Our challenge is to excite young people and change perceptions about engineering careers.” said Professor Halstead. Alison also spoke of the new 14-19 Engineering Academy, an initiative based at Aston University that offers “truly blended academic and vocational routes for young people.”
The first EU Skills Conference set the scene for the sector to look seriously at their future skills needs. It is clear that the energy and utilities industry faces a huge skills challenge but has a great opportunity. Raising the profile and attractiveness of the sector will be pivotal in delivering a sustainable workforce to meet current and future demand.
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