Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 20TH - 26TH APRIL 2018 | 19 The pylons were built in the 1930s and provide power to nearly 90,000 homes in the area. Supplies will be maintained throughout the upgrade operation, which is expected to be completed by the end of the month. If you have an asset or project you would like to see featured in this slot, please send your pictures and details of the project to: paulnewton@fav-house.com or call 01342 332085 Pipe up Frank Gielen Great talent drives innovation. But it goes the other way too. The best talent wants to work for innovative compa- nies – it can be a virtuous or vicious circle depending on whether companies get it right. There are many ways to innovate – and to show it – but we found in a survey that some respondents approached it by creating innovation divisions or sepa- rate entities. This mirrors moves made by some banks, which have opened financial technology accelerators that are wholly owned but separately run, avoiding the slow-moving corporate structure and moving out of the shadow of a parent brand that is seen as old-fashioned. Start-ups are oen perceived as innovative by default, but this is one-way larger energy companies can bolster their reputation and performance regarding innovation. Europe is a fantastic place for energy firms to do busi- ness. European economies have shown global leader- ship on energy and environmental issues, and initiatives such as the Energy Union bring countries closer together. How- ever, a host of barriers remain: languages, local regulations, business practices, equipment specifications, and so on. Therefore, as the energy sector becomes more connected and collaborative internation- ally, companies need to reflect that in their recruitment. This means obvious considerations such as language skills, but also looking for new talent that has knowledge of different international policies and regulations. Fortunately, this need converges with another trend in the next-generation workforce: international career aspirations. Just as more millennials want careers that include different roles in different companies, more are looking for careers that include stints in different coun- tries. By harnessing that desire, energy companies can help themselves to cope with this particular transition. Companies should start preparing now for these workforce trends. In many cases, this extends beyond HR to top-level questions about the company: how can we innovate; what is our environmental impact? In oth- ers, the key lies in working with universities and other organisations to put schemes in place to ensure that tomorrow's talent has this broader skill set. This is the philosophy behind InnoEnergy's Game Changing Impact Programme. Coaching in core business skills enables Masters and PhD graduates to enter the industry and make an immediate, positive impact. For energy companies and tomorrow's talent, such schemes will be key to getting the most out of a career. Prof Dr Frank Gielen, education director, InnoEnergy "As the sector becomes more connected internationally, companies need to reflect that in their recruitment" "More millennials are looking for careers that include stints in different countries" Operations & Assets

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