Infrastructure Policy - Energy & Utility Skills

Infrastructure Policy

The energy and utilities sector constructs, maintains and operates a significant proportion of overall UK infrastructure. We work with a range of key stakeholders to ensure that skills and workforce issues are integral to UK-wide infrastructure strategies and plans.

Infrastructure Policy

A Central Role for Energy and Utilities in Infrastructure Delivery

A skilled, fully competent and sustainable workforce is essential to realising the projects within the National Infrastructure Pipeline. In order to fulfil our sector’s responsibilities in this area safely and efficiently, our Workforce Renewal and Skills Strategy calls for:

  • Collective partnership across the UK to focus on building the optimum sector workforce
  • Connection between emerging strategies and policies for education and skills
  • Explicit recognition of the importance of strategic workforce renewal within the future visions, strategies and policies of government departments and regulators
  • Resilience duties of regulators to include ensuring a sustainable and competent sector-wide workforce

Key Stakeholders and Work Streams

Infrastructure and Projects Authority and the National Infrastructure Delivery Plan (2016-2021)

The Infrastructure and Projects Authority, reporting to the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury, is the Government’s centre of expertise for infrastructure and major projects. It brings together all the elements required for delivery of successful projects, including development of the skills and capability of the people who deliver infrastructure projects.

It is also responsible for producing and updating the National Infrastructure Pipeline, within the context of the National Infrastructure Delivery Plan 2016-2021. The plan sets out how the Government will support delivery of key infrastructure projects and programmes up until the end of this Parliament. The pipeline, updated annually, provides a snapshot of projected infrastructure investment in all sectors of the economy. The energy and utilities sector currently accounts for more than 40% of the value of the Pipeline, from 2017-2021.

The National Infrastructure Commission and the National Infrastructure Assessment

The National Infrastructure Commission is an independent advisory body of experts, providing strategic thinking and analysis to address the UK’s long term infrastructure needs, alongside a range of other projects, studies and competitions. The Commission publishes a National Infrastructure Assessment once a parliament, which analyses the UK’s long term infrastructure needs over the next 30 years. These reports are updated on a rolling basis and the Government must respond to all its recommendations. In addition, the Commission produces reports on individual infrastructure projects as requested by the Government.


Find Out More

Infrastructure, and the skills required to construct and maintain it, are recognised as key enablers of growth and productivity in the Industrial Strategy White Paper. Visit our Industrial Strategy page for further information or read our briefings on the subject.