Utility Week

26 | 20TH - 26TH JULY 2018 | UTILITY WEEK Operations & Assets Event F or some it was the proudest moment of their long careers, for others a huge boost for their future development – but for everyone at the recent Utility Week Stars Awards ceremony, the event revealed the sheer range of talent across the sector. The importance of showcasing such sto- ries is something Energy & Utility Skills and its partners within the CEO-level Energy and Utilities Skills Partnership (EUSP) see as vital – not only for ensuring employee achieve- ments are celebrated and acknowledged by their peers, but also for spreading the word to a wider potential workforce audience about the opportunities that exist within the energy and utilities sector. Talent Source Network (TSN) is described as a mass talent attraction initiative, devel- oped by the sector under the EUSP and supported by key sector players including reg- ulators, policymakers and delivery partners. All work together to showcase the breadth of career opportunities available to future talent. With an estimated 221,000 energy and util- ity roles to be filled by 2027, it says showing leadership on this is essential. By acting now and leveraging collaborative strength, a sus- tainable pipeline of future talent can be built. The network, made up of a collabora- tion of 24 leading industry employers, aims to help bring this new talent into the sector, as well as retain quality candidates for the future. It is designed as a place for career inspiration and opportunities, promoting energy and utilities as the employment sec- tors of choice and bringing together talent, employers and influential partners. And TSN is also engaging with audiences the sector has historically found more diffi- cult to attract. Women currently make up less than 11 per cent of the engineering sector and 22 per cent of the energy and utilities sector workforce, with the numbers lower for those from black or minority ethnic backgrounds. The network wants to change the stereo- typical image of the sector and increase diver- sity, by raising its profile and visibility with diverse target audiences. With more than half of visitors to Talent Source Network's website since the turn of the year being women, it has proved successful in attracting such key tar- get audiences. For employers, joining TSN's collaborative network enables the delivery of innovative campaigns to attract talent and develop pipe- lines at all levels. Alongside those who are beginning their career journeys, including apprentices and graduates, it also enables professionals with transferable experience, skills and leadership abilities from other sectors – including the armed forces – to join. TSN sponsored all four Utility Week Stars Awards' talent categories – Rising Star, Shooting Star, Guiding Star and the Super- nova Award for Long Service. The trophies were presented by Kate Davies, chief oper- ating officer for Energy & Utility Skills, and executive lead for TSN. Speaking aerwards, she told Utility Week: "The Awards were totally aligned with what TSN is trying to do, and in getting the message out on how much opportunity our sector has to offer. By celebrating the heroes in our sector who have gone above and beyond, we can showcase the breadth and diversity of individuals achieving progres- sion and success in the sector already. "The UK's energy and utilities sector offers such a huge range of exciting and challenging careers. It is critical that this is visible to a diverse range of emerging talent." Nick Ellins, chief executive of Energy & Utility Skills, had the difficult task of judging the categories. He said: "As the lead judge for these particular awards, I was looking to find evidence of personal and professional excel- lence, along with attitudes and behaviours that would inspire the utility workforce of the future. Ryan Salmon [Rising Star], Barry Campbell [Shooting Star], Dave Shepherd [Guiding Star] and Mike Sutherland [Super- nova Award for Long Service] all displayed those traits and, in winning these awards, are a credit to themselves, their employers, customers and to all of us as utilities people. "Utility Week has yet again successfully brought together hundreds of individuals from businesses across the UK utilities world, to showcase those who deliver vital services for society, oen out of sight, and build collective pride in a sector that is serv- ing 65 million people across four nations, every hour of every day." For more details on TSN go to: www.talentsourcenetwork.co.uk Read more about the Utility Week Stars Awards at: utilityweek.co.uk/sectors-unsung- heroes-celebrated-utility-week-stars-awards/ Recognising talent People are the utilities sector's greatest assets and key parties must act together to recognise, retain and attract talent to meet the industry challenges of the future, says Energy & Utility Skills.

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