Utility Week - authoritative, impartial and essential reading for senior people within utilities, regulators and government
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20 | 2ND - 8TH SEPTEMBER 2016 | UTILITY WEEK Operations & Assets T he Utility Week HR Forum is unique: it is the only event that exclusively brings utility sector HR leaders together to focus on sector training and recruitment requirements and trends in employee well- being, reward and development. Market reforms, increasing competition and digital disruption against the backdrop of an ageing workforce, growing skills gaps and infrastructure investment make this a pivotal moment for HR development in the utilities sector. Yet despite these chal- lenges, a robust sector strategy for workforce renewal is currently lacking. The energy and utilities sector will need at least 40,000 technical staff in the next ten years, not only to replace outgoing tal- ent and experience, but also to keep up with government's economic plans and associ- ated infrastructure schemes. Assuming utilities can find these indi- viduals, attracting them is pricy. There is an estimated wage premium of up to 30 per cent for utilities to recruit into key roles such as overhead-lines, welders, high pressure pipe jointers, and controls staff. Meanwhile, smart grids skills for the future are in short supply and 40 per cent of utilities say they have had to increase investment in recruit- ment in order to comb the talent pool. Energy & Utility Skills Group is calling on industry to develop a collaborative approach to this challenge (see column, right), rather than companies attempting to fire fight skills issues on an individual basis. A collective strategy will better tackle sector attractive- ness problems and increase skills mobility it says. It's proposition which speakers at this year's forum will debate with interest. It's not just macro skills issues that are challenging HR leaders however. As skills and labour policies continue to evolve, changes to compliance expectations and organisational processes keep them on their toes. This year, the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy looms large. The 4th annual Utility Week HR Forum will encompass all these subjects and more. Now an established event for leaders of training, recruitment and people develop- ment, it offers a much-needed opportunity to give the sector's workforce challenges the attention and they deserve. Event preview HR Forum, Birmingham, 13 September 2016 Utilities are people businesses too This month the 4th annual Utility Week HR Forum brings together utility HR professionals – and the major contractors that support them – to discuss the burning issues of training and recruitment. "A valuable experience to under- stand the innovative solutions being actioned to overcome some of the people challenges." HR business partner, Future Water Association "A great variety of topics from across the utilities world, help- What attendees said last year: ing all of us accept the similar challenges we all experience and the variety of solutions we can all benefit from." Employee engagement manager, SGN "Overall it was an excellent forum to learn what other com- 4 THEMES 1. Shared sector workforce strategy. 2. Cultures where leaders rise to the top. 3. Attracting and engaging the best of the best. 4. Impact of apprenticeship levy.