Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Economics, government & businessSkills shortages

Utilities tap into help over skills shortage

by Personnel Today 1 Jun 2005
by Personnel Today 1 Jun 2005

Chief executives from some of the UK’s leading utility companies have called for government assistance to combat a serious skills shortage in the industry.

Utilities companies including RWE Thames Water and EDF Energy have urged the skills and vocational education minister, Phil Hope, to address the lack of funding for apprenticeships for people aged 24 and over in the sector.

A lack of new engineering and network maintenance recruits has meant that older employees are not being replaced – resulting in a potentially serious threat to services such as power and water.

RWE Thames Water chief executive, Bill Alexander, said: “We urgently need an influx of new engineers [and] people with the right technical skills doing vital work at street level.”

Public funding is already in place for welfare-to-work programme Ambition: Energy, delivered through sector skills council Energy & Utility Skills. However, many companies have complained that the programme concentrates on the gas industry at the expense of electricity and water. It is also regarded as basic training, whereas many companies need to recruit more advanced ‘craftspeople’. The utilities sector has pioneered its own training schemes, but the shortage of recruits is too severe to be resolved without government help.

Managing director of electricity company Central Networks, Bob Taylor, said: “We need the government to provide more support for prospective engineers and skilled craftspeople, and to work with industry to develop credible solutions.”

The companies are lobbying the government through a media campaign launched last month by industry magazine Utility Week. It aims to secure government funding for apprenticeships in addition to raising awareness about the benefits of working for a utility company.



Avatar
Personnel Today

previous post
Minister calls in inspectors to investigate Rover
next post
Execs consider nip and tuck to improve career prospects

You may also like

Steep rise in visas for non-EU migrant workers

19 May 2022

How to respond to an HMRC furlough enquiry

18 May 2022

AI adoption: Skills shortages means UK lagging behind...

18 May 2022

Wages fall 1.2% behind inflation as cost of...

17 May 2022

How firms need to comply with sponsor licence...

16 May 2022

Prime minister steps up calls for 90,000 civil...

13 May 2022

‘Small spike’ in minimum wage underpayment among 20-24...

13 May 2022

Fears over skills as visa application times double...

12 May 2022

Green energy jobs given lift by new Delivery...

12 May 2022

Queen’s Speech: absence of employment bill leaves organisations...

10 May 2022
  • Apprenticeships are the solution to your recruitment problems PROMOTED | Apprenticeships have the pulling power...Read more
  • What it really means to be mentally fit PROMOTED | What is mental fitness...Read more
  • How music can help to ease anxiety at work PROMOTED | A lot has happened since March 2020, hasn’t it?...Read more
  • Why now is the time to plug the unhealthy gap PROMOTED | We’ve all heard the term ‘health is wealth’...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+