OREANDA-NEWS. National Grid has welcomed the launch of an action plan to help create up to 70,000 new learning opportunities, including apprenticeships and traineeships, in the Energy and Utilities sector.

The Energy and Utilities Industrial Partnership (EEIP), Chaired by National Grid CEO Steve Holliday, aims to address the gap between the lack of new talent entering the sector and the 200,000 new recruits needed by 2023. The UK Government has invested £33m in the EEIP which will be match-funded by the 90 employers taking part, making is the biggest scheme of its type in the country.

Speaking at the launch of the plan, Steve Holliday said: “This investment shows major Government recognition of the challenges facing the UK's energy and utilities sectors, and the vital role young people and local communities can play in solving them. The strength and scale of this Partnership means it will build consensus within these industries on how to meet the demand for new, innovative power and energy solutions, and build a more secure, sustainable economy for the future.”

With an estimated 50 per cent of current employees set to leave the power, renewables and waste management sector in the next decade and 200,000 new recruits needed by 2023, EEIP sees those industries working together to fill the training and skills void. It's part of the Government's flagship Employer Ownership of Skills pilot, which offers investment to develop sector workforces giving them flexibility in how publicly funded training is created and delivered. It also focuses on providing opportunities for unemployed young people and those from disadvantaged communities or backgrounds.

It's this point that Head of Education and Skills for National Grid, Tony Moloney, feels will add the greatest value: “In the very short term, this partnership will mean National Grid can offer at least another 60 extra apprentice places when this year's recruitment begins in September.

“However longer term the partnership hopes to generate 70,000 new learning opportunities and we're looking at a number of possibilities, such as traineeships or up-skilling programmes, that will particularly benefit those unemployed or not in education or training.

There's also the possibility that we can help other EEIP companies bolster their own development programmes by sharing our training facilities - including our state of the art £4million facility in Eakring.

“That's the beauty of this partnership. It's not about what one company can do in isolation, it's about all the energy and utilities companies working together to fill the skills gap.”