A key priority of the Energy & Utilities Workforce Renewal Strategy is ensuring the sector’s workforce is reflective of the population it serves. While we have some way to go achieve this aim, we recognise that diversity takes many forms outside of the ‘white male’ mantra often used in describing how the energy and utilities workforce ‘looks’.
Facing this challenge, CEOs from the sector’s leading businesses have committed to proactively changing workforce diversity and to highlight the great work being done by the sector.
COVID-19 brings with it both additional challenges and opportunities – in the impact it is indirectly having on gender, ethnicity and socio-economic backgrounds alongside the opportunities presented through our new ways of working, through homeworking, increased use of technology and through the flexibility we have shown the sector can provide to employees, irrespective of diversity characteristic.
Now more than ever, diverse workforces are critical to ensure resumption of our new ‘normal’ and for business creativity, innovation and resilience. Ensuring we can attract, recruit, retain and progress a diverse workforce is essential to fulfilling the 270,000 plus new recruits required to meet the sector’s skills needs over the next 10 years
While Pride month is in a very different form this year, the sector will work collaboratively to demonstrate its support of LGBTQ+ colleagues across the sector. From Pride in Energy, to the regulatory angle of Ofgem’s Power in Pride promise, to company network groups, support of Pride month, and most importantly the sharing of individual experiences of what it is really like working in our sector as part of the LGBTQ+ community – at all levels and across functions.
“This collaborative (and this year online) campaign aims to highlight some of the many great things the sector does; to bring to life some of the real experiences of working here and encourage more LGBTQ+ colleagues to do the same. While COVID-19 has changed how we are operating our businesses, the sector will return to a new norm. The skills and diversity challenges we face remain unchanged, with opportunities for progressive careers in a sector that has a key role to play in achieving Net Zero and delivering essential services to the UK.” – Colin Jellicoe – Group Human Resources Director, M Group Services and Chair of the Energy & Utilities Diversity & Inclusion Network Forum
“The Energising Pride campaign aims to highlight the importance of pride month and LGBTQ+ visibility within the Energy & Utilities sector. With inclusion a key priority of the Skills Renewal Strategy 2020-25, this provides the opportunity to share the experiences of LGBTQ+ colleagues working in the sector and the range of supporting employer activities. Increasing the numbers of LGBTQ+ colleagues through attraction, recruitment and ensuring cultures that encourage the sharing of diversity data is are key areas of focus.” – Louise Parry – Director of People and Organisational Development, Energy & Utility Skills
Find Out More
If you would like to get invovled with the #EnergisingPride digital campaign, please contact louise.parry@euskills.co.uk
Useful links:
The Sector’s Inclusion Commitment Web page
Energy & Utility Skills Twitter
Energy & Utility Skills LinkedIn