Leading public services provider Amey is pledging further support to the Energy & Utilities Skills Partnership by joining it’s Strategy Council, a spokesperson for the company announced today.
The Partnership is owned and led by 29 leading employers in the energy and utilities industry who recognise that investment in infrastructure and core utility services is a vital part of improving UK productivity and growth.
Formed in 2016, it developed the first-ever Workforce Renewal and Skills Strategy in response to the Government’s National Infrastructure Plan for Skills. In 2017, its Strategic Council has agreed to collaborate on three key priorities:
- to build sector attractiveness and recruitment, including taking an inclusive approach to ensure the sector appeals to all communities, generations and genders; also working with schools and colleges to attract and retain talent through the likes of the Talent Source Network initiative
- to maximise investment in skills, including supporting the development of effective entry routes to employment, building high quality apprenticeships and the development of sustainable skills investment approaches that can operate across all four UK governments.
- to take targeted action to address anticipated skill gaps and shortages, including providing consistent quality of training in the workplace and enabling workforce mobility and easier skills transfer through the sector passport schemes like the Competency Accord and the National Water Hygiene Scheme.
Kevin Fowlie, managing director of Amey's Utilities business unit, who will represent Amey on the Council, said: “Collaborating with other organisations within our industry to address skills shortages and recruitment challenges will provide more efficient and effective outcomes for us all. We are particularly proud to be one of the companies leading on the EU Skills Accord initiative, and now the Strategy Council, further pledging our support and commitment to addressing the skills gap and driving sustainable business in the UK.”
Nick Ellins, Chief Executive of the EU Skills Group, the organisation behind the Partnership, added: “The addition of Kevin to the Strategic Council will further increase the momentum of this group of senior leaders that is determined to end the talk of ‘skills cliff edges’ and take action to build a sustainable workforce.
"The energy and utilities sector delivers infrastructure and essential services for 65 million people each and every day, and also underpins all the main economic and productivity ambitions of governments. The work of the Skills Partnership is therefore critical to the UK's economic performance and we encourage policy makers, regulators and key interest groups to work with us to ensure a resilient, effective and sustainable sector for generations to come.”