Plugging the technical skills gap

22 May 2019

Exeter-based Pennon Group plc and nmcn, a leading engineering and construction company, have been jointly commended for their work to plug a technical skills gap in the utilities sector.

Both companies were presented with a Procurement Skills Accord Award from the Energy & Utilities Skills Partnership.  The accord aims to ensure that the supply chains of utility companies have enough people with the right technical skills to build and maintain the infrastructure needed to deliver essential services. 

At present there is a challenge in recruiting the right number of skilled technicians, in such areas as engineering, maintenance, electronics and electrical, and there could be a national skills shortage unless action is taken. It is estimated that 221,000 roles need to be filled by 2027 to deliver the sector’s sizeable investment programme in the UK.

Pennon, which owns South West Water and Viridor, already has an award-winning apprenticeship programme.  In partnership with nmcn, initially, it is taking further steps to ensure that its supply chain remains fit for the future.

The skills accord provides a structured way to:

  • record areas for improvement, such as identified gaps in systems and processes
  • take action
  • allocate responsibility for improvements to relevant people
  • prioritise investment activities
  • set realistic timeframes for the completion of tasks
  • monitor, measure and report on the effectiveness of improvements
  • identify further opportunities to improve the quality of services delivered to customers.

Phil Davies, Head of Procurement for Pennon Group Plc, said:  “Our supply chain plays a crucial role in the delivery of our services to customers.  This collaboration with nmcn will build more resilience into our technical talent pipeline and will be rolled out to our other suppliers.  We already have a robust programme of upskilling our people, through training and development, and are now ensuring that similar schemes are continually applied within and across our supply chain.”

John Homer, Chief Executive of nmcn, added "Working collaboratively with Pennon Group to improve the sustainability of skills across our joint supply chain is something we are very proud of. The skills shortage in our industry is well documented and it is important we take action wherever possible to have a positive impact in this area."  

Kate Davies, Chief Operating Officer at Energy & Utility Skills, commented: “Our ‘Procurement Skills Accord’ supporters have taken up the skills challenge in our industry and are delivering against the accord’s robust commitments, ensuring the sector proactively invests in training and development across the supply chain. It has also been encouraging to see that institutional investors are paying increasing attention to how companies invest in and optimise their human capital. I have been heartened by the wealth of best practice being shared across the sector. Through our collaboration we remain committed to building a diverse and inclusive pipeline of talent for the future.”

To view and download photo click link below

Pennon Group Plc picks up a Procurement Skills Accord Award from the Energy & Utility Skills Partnership.  Left to right:  James Coldwell, Workforce Disclosure Initiative; Jill Callicott, Pennon; Rebecca Darch, Pennon; Phil Davies, Pennon; Chris Norbury, E.ON and Chair of the Partnership’s Delivery Board; and Nick Ellins, Chief Executive of Energy & Skills: https://dmscdn.vuelio.co.uk/publicitem/a1fbe15e-e1e8-4f29-8f72-7ac06cb3d1f9