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6 | 19th - 25th September 2014 | UtILItY WeeK People & Opinion Making a difference Companies can reach out to young people and sell them careers in science and engineering. Chief executive's view Juergen Maier, Siemens plc A ttracting talented, skilled people is a problem faced by many industries, including utilities. The changing energy land- scape requires a strong pipe- line of talent, while a shortage of skilled workers and a lack of training opportunities could put the sector's competitiveness and capability at risk. It is therefore vital that we work together to understand future growth, jobs and the asso- ciated skills requirements – and communicate them in a way that will attract young people and those with transferable skills. We will not solve the problem overnight, but at Siemens, we are convinced that young British people have the raw talent and ability to succeed in the modern global workplace and we are determined to will play our part in helping them do so. Science and technology is at the heart of everything Siemens does and everything that makes it competitive. We all know there is an urgent need to get more young people interested in Stem (science, technology, engineer- ing, and mathematics) subjects and we are active in this area. But like good engineers we are always looking for continu- ous improvement, and this is why we recently launched the Curiosity Project. It's designed to proactively reach out to young people – and those that influ- ence their decision making – and to unlock their inquisitiveness. The Curiosity Project aims to reach more than five million young people within a three-year framework. It will give them a greater knowledge of the oppor- tunities created by Stem subjects and the exciting career prospects engineering delivers. Via the Curiosity Project, Siemens will support five major science-related festivals in the UK, each with a clear ambition to reach out to parents, teachers and students to make the world of science available in a fun and engaging way. The project also supports The Prince's Teaching Institute Resi- dential for Mathematics and Sci- ence, which will help heads of departments from state second- ary schools across the country access up-to-date knowledge, resources and ideas so they can deliver truly inspiring lessons. Furthermore, the project will incorporate a sponsorship of the International Images for Science photography competition and touring exhibition run by the Royal Photographic Society. This will showcase in an immersive, visual manner, the fascinating detail and scale of science and engineering in application. As the project rolls out, we intend to conduct a research pro- gramme to quantify the impact that business engagement with parents, schools and teachers can have on the understanding a young person displays about Stem careers. We'll also increase Siemens' free online engineering education resources, launched in 2013, as part of this project. These resources are aimed at the UK's 21,000 primary and 5,000 secondary schools and have already been rolled out to 5,000 schools. We aim to reach 4.5 mil- lion pupils by 2016 through this channel. I'm extremely proud that Siemens is engaging young stu- dents, teachers and parents all across the UK, both in and out the classroom. I am confident that Siemens, and our partners in this area, can make a sig- nificant difference, and via our research, we intend to prove it. Hot off the press the government published Securing Our Prosperity Through a Global Climate Change Agreement on 9 September ahead of the paris 2015 meeting to negotiate a global climate change agreement. the report quotes Amber rudd, parliamentary under secretary for climate change, saying: "the UK is a global leader in developing cost- effective policies and innovative technologies so that growth and decarbonisation can now be seen as two sides of the same coin – paris 2015 is a singular opportunity for generations across the world to share in that future." The increasing risks of flooding in the UK as a consequence of climate change are emphasised in the report, which says up to £277 million was spent on flood dam- age across england and Wales in 2012/13. read the full government report at bit.ly/paris2015hmGov Call for leadership the technology Strategy board has called for applications to the post of chairman of the forthcoming energy Systems Catapult, which is due to open in April next year. the new catapult will join a network of seven existing centres including an Offshore renewables Catapult located in Glasgow. the centres are designed to accelerate the commercial viability of early stage technologies and research in strategically important sectors. the government has com- mitted £1.4 billion to the catapult network over its first five years. Other funding comes from the private sector and competitions. Applications to the post of chair can be made until 3 October. Career choices Ninety women seeking career development and planning ad- vice attended the Everywoman Women in Energy Academy, media partnered by Utility Week. More insight in October. www.everywoman.com