Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/863631
16 | SEPTEMBER 2017 | WWT | www.wwtonline.co.uk degree in electrical and civil engineering can find themselves with two, three or four job offers, points out Higgs – even at a time when the low oil price means there is relatively subdued competition from the oil and gas sector. To attract the best talent in this candidate's market, he says that the sector needs to push its environmental mission and sustainability credentials, as well as the challenge and variety of the projects it undertakes. However, while the challenges around traditional engineering have been present for many years, the technology dimension means that new skillsets and entirely job functions are required involving IT, machine learning, data analytics and data science. Here, people with the right skills are not only scarce, but also in demand from a wider range of potential employers, including the more lucrative financial sector. "It's no longer as simple as saying 'we are losing 50,000 engineers, so we need to find another 50,000'," says Paul Horton, chief executive of the Future Water Association. "There's going to be a different range of skills required across the sector. It's hard to believe that it has only been ten years since the launch of the first iPhone. That tells you how fast digital technology has developed, and a full range of skills need to develop alongside that. The pace of change is going to be rapid." A common complaint is that not enough young people are coming through the education system with an interest in pursuing STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), making it almost inevitable that there will be a shortage at graduate level. For this reason, the Future Water Association's latest initiative concentrates on hooking them young: its 'Skills for the Future' programme is an alliance of companies working together to get 11-14 year olds interested in the water sector via talks in schools, visits and its 'Young Water Dragons' innovation competition. Young people of that age o"en don't have any visibility of utilities, adds Horton: they don't know anybody who works in the sector and don't see the results of its work, other than the water coming through their taps which is a constant. If young people are given a glimpse of some of the hi-tech work going on the sector – which includes elements such as drones and artificial intelligence which could capture their imagination – then in just five years' time these youngsters could be putting their hands up to work in water. "I've spoken to a number of schools career advisers who have said 'glad you got in touch, because we don't know anything about the sector,'" says Horton. "We don't talk to our kids about the sector. It seems crazy when water is so valuable, but if we don't do anything now, then in seven years' time, we'll have a lot less people. Perhaps in the future we'll become reliant on AI systems, but we are not at that point yet." International talent has been a vital ingredient for STEM employers in recent years, filling many gaps that home-grown capabilities could not. While it is far from clear what post-Brexit deal will emerge and any immigration controls would not be intended to deter in-demand skilled workers, the UK's departure from the EU The Talk: water industry skills may result in some of this group leaving the country or being dissuaded from coming here in the first place. The Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) believes that building and civil engineering in the water supply chain could be particularly hard hit by this effect, which is why it has called on the government to guarantee the status of EU nationals working in the industry. Its figures show that 8 per cent of the construction workforce is made up of EU nationals. "The construction sector requires at least 35,740 new workers per year. Currently the industry is reliant on migrant labour alongside UK workers to meet demand, particularly in London," Marie-Claude Hemming, director of external affairs at CECA, said in a recent report on the issue. "The lead time for skills demand in the infrastructure sector is far shorter than the lead time for skills supply. As such, it is important that the existing workforce can flex, and where required upskill rapidly, to meet demand. This requires a recognition of the key core skills, with common understanding Last year's intake of graduates at Severn Trent's offices in Coventry Future Water Association CEO Paul Horton (right) with winners of the Young Water Dragons competition "We don't talk to kids about the sector. It seems crazy when water is so valuable, but if we don't do anything now, we'll have a lot less people in the years to come."