Mark Wild OBE, CEO of gas distribution network SGN, assumes the role of Chair of the Energy & Utility Skills Partnership CEO Council at a critical juncture for utility industries. The Partnerships workforce and skills strategy articulates the significant challenges and opportunities that the sector already faces in ensuring the timely provision of a safe, skilled, and sustainable workforce.
Phil Beach, Chief Executive of Energy & Utility Skills, said: “I would like to pay tribute to Michael Lewis who, as CEO of EON UK, brought inspirational leadership and focus to the Energy & Utility Skills Partnership. And I’m delighted to welcome Mark Wild to this significant role. His commitment and passion for skills and people shines through in all he does, and he will bring a wealth of experience to bear at this pivotal time for our sector.”
The priorities of the sector include the need to recruit and train over 250,000 new employees this decade, requiring a real focus on improving sector attraction and retention as well as driving improvements to equality, diversity, and inclusion. As the utilities sector embraces technological changes, the Partnership is equally focused on ensuring that the right training is in place to exploit these opportunities.
The utility industry is at the heart of the UK’s ambitions to achieve net zero by 2050 and improve our environment; simply put, energy and utility industries underwrite the country’s ability to achieve this. The Partnership is playing a crucial role in both identifying the skills and workforce needed to achieve these strategic ambitions and working together to create solutions. This is exemplified in the Partnership’s leading role in the government-industry Green Jobs Delivery Group where it has coordinated industry views and data to provide a clear picture of skills demands and solutions.