Chief executives from 32 energy and utilities employers have launched a long-term commitment to attract more diverse and inclusive talent into the industry.
The Energy & Utilities Skills Partnership, led by sector employers, recognised the gap in its Workforce Renewal and Skills Strategy: 2020. Women, people with disabilities, the BAME community and under 24s have traditionally been under-represented in the energy and utilities sector, compared to national averages.
The companies will work collaboratively to attract, recruit and retain a more diverse talent to the sector. Employing around 566,000 people across the UK, the sector will need over 221,000 new recruits to fill its expected skills gap by 2027.
The commitment will challenge the sector to act and think differently and aims to inspire and connect with underrepresented groups, attracting new talent and ideas into the energy and utilities sector.
It set out five principles for action
- Work collaboratively as a sector to drive change, challenging itself to do things differently, sharing best practice and delivering sector priorities
- Focus on inclusion in its entirety, with targeted sector action to start by increasing gender, BAME and disability workforce representation.
- Measure and be transparent about progress in individual organisations and as a sector.
- Create the culture needed to attract the workforce of tomorrow.
- Be inclusive in attracting, recruiting and developing people.
Nick Ellins, chief executive, Energy & Utility Skills Group said: “This new commitment is a framework. It starts the collective action to help the sector workforce better mirror the communities it serves and secure the unquestionable benefits that result from having vibrant, truly inclusive and diverse teams.”
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