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The Topic: Workforce Planning WORKFORCE PLANNING THE TOPIC 12 | 4TH - 10TH AUGUST 2017 | UTILITY WEEK SCOTTISH WATER Retaining and retraining With the utility sector's ageing workforce, centuries of collective knowledge is nearing retirement and could, if companies are not careful, be lost completely from the industry. Acknowledging this chal- lenge and working on ways to soen the brain drain is vital to the smooth functioning of the essential services that utilities provide, but also for the train- ing of future generations of engi- neers to fill these roles. Scottish Water is tackling this issue head on and is looking to retain, and potentially retrain, older employees to ensure that knowledge, skills and experience are retained when the workforce retires, while attracting and sup- porting the development of the next generation. The company has created a Calls to action Utilities are not sitting idly by while the skills gap gets ever wider – they are pursuing recruitment and retention initiatives. strategy that supports the work- ing needs of a multi-genera- tional workforce. Experienced employees have been seconded and recruited from their front- line operational roles to form learning faculties in Scottish Water's skills academies. This has helped retain hundreds of years of collective knowledge and wisdom and is now helping to upskill and retrain the exist- ing workforce. Additionally, vacancies cre- ated through initiating these internal job moves have cre- ated openings for apprentices to enter into Scottish Water's youth pipelines. The strategy includes a focus on flexible and early retirement, which has enabled Scottish Water to work with and enhance its age demographic by allowing staff to smooth their transition into retirement. This also helps to create capacity in the organi- sation for additional apprentices, graduates and trainees, facili- tating a scheduled and smooth approach to releasing skills and transferring knowledge. CENTRICA Retaining talent with flexible employment The skills challenge is not just about attracting new people to the sector, or retaining the knowledge of staff near retire- ment. Retaining talent also means helping those with exter- nal life pressures to remain in the industry and as valued and important team members. According to figures from Car- ers UK, 1 in 8 adults (around 6.5 million people) are carers. By 2037, it is anticipated that the number of carers will increase to 9 million. Every day another 6,000 people take on a caring responsibility, which equates to more than two million people each year. With the numbers of people with caring responsibilities set to increase, ensuring they can still contribute effectively to the workforce, and retaining their skill sets and knowledge, is essential. Centrica has acted on this challenge and has created a "cul- ture for carers", which aims to help employees combine work with their caring responsibilities. This includes offering up to a month's paid leave, flexible working hours, in-house mentor- ing, training for their line man- agers and a carers' support unit that is 1,000 people strong. Staff are also directed towards exter- nal support organisations. Centrica estimates that the support plan has saved the company around £4.5 million in IN BRIEF University Technical Colleges (UTCs) These are an alternative to traditional schools for 14-19-year-olds, funded by government and supported by large employ- ers. The utility sector is involved with 52 per cent of the current UTCs, with at least 22 companies supporting them. The Greater Peterborough University Technical College (GPUTC) opened in Sep- tember 2016, led by Anglian Water. Anglian Water works closely with the teaching staff and is directly involved by helping set the curriculum, leading projects and providing feedback and mentoring to students. "We aim to help students reach their potential by making the learning they do as real world as possible – working with the teaching staff to bring the world of work into as many subjects as possible,"says Phil Brown, head of people development, Anglian Water, and chair of governors for GPUTC. Talent Source Network Talent Source Network is a unique profes- sional network. It brings together sector employers, training and education organisa- tions, and people looking for work or their next career move. The social media network features news, events, jobs, training options and more. There are currently 2,570 individuals signed up to the Talent Source Network, which can help utilities find talent outside the sector, including former military personnel. "This provides us with a great sector- specific platform to engage candidates considering a career in the energy sector. It perfectly complements our mix of exist- ing channels and in addition offers us an opportunity to put great candidates we know in touch with other organisations across the sector," says British Gas Tideway 'returnships' Thames Tideway actively seeks to recruit professionals of all ages who have taken an extended career break by offering "return- ships" – paid internships for people who have been voluntarily out of the workforce for two years or more. The first seven returnees to complete the programme were all offered positions with the company. The idea has been endorsed by the Insti- tute of Civil Engineers, which is partnering with a number of engineering companies to offer 10-12 week work placements for engineers who want to return to work. "One of the biggest pools of untapped talent is with professionals who have taken a break from their career, and then found it dif- ficult to find work in their area of expertise because of the gap of relevant experience in their CVs," says Andy Mitchell, chief execu- tive of Thames Tideway