Apprentices key as power f irms face skills crisis
Scotland’S energy industry faces a looming skills shortage, experts have warned.
Power giant SSE said that the need to invest now is ‘vital’ to ensure the energy sector prospers.
ahead of national apprenticeship Week, which starts today, the energy firm warned that around half of the sector’s workforce are expected to retire by 2023 and that 208,000 workers will be needed to plug the gap.
John Stewart, SSE director of human resources, said yesterday that the emphasis must be on apprentices hips and spotlighting career opportunities.
He said: ‘apprenticeships put young people on track for a first rate career and with around 50 per cent of the sector’s workforce set to retire by 2023, there is a need to invest now.
‘ We’re boosting our apprentice numbers by 20 per cent, investing £11.68million – an average of £80,000 per trainee – to recruit and train the workforce of the future.
‘ What’s more, apprenticeship programmes work for the country as well as young people and business.
‘Research we’ve carried out with [accountancy firm] Pwc tells us for every £1 we spend on our apprenticeship programme, the net economic impact on society is £4.29.
‘our apprenticeship programme is open now and we’d urge young people to consider a career in the energy industry and invest in their own future.’
Every year since 2007, more than 100 apprentices have joined SSE’s programme.
they help maintain 127,000 miles of power lines, work in wind farms, hydro stations and thermal plants, and help maintain commercial and domestic electrical systems.
laura Sneddon, 30, a technical skills trainee, said she discovered SSE’s apprenticeship scheme while browsing on twitter during a gap year in australia.
She loves the unpredictable nature of her job and said: ‘the apprenticeship can take you anywhere – one day you might be out on a job and the next day you could be planning another, or learning about another part of the business. You spend time with jointers, liners and fitters, you undertake managerial-based placements and you spend around 13 weeks of the year studying for your degree.
‘I love my job and when I meet my friends I am always talking about the different things that I do.’
neil carberry, cBI director for Employment and Skills, said apprenticeships were ‘critical’ to the country’s future.
He added: ‘apprenticeships help to address skills gaps, especially at technician level.
‘It’s good that businesses and political parties are focused on them, but we need to focus on quality as well as quantity.
‘Giving employers more control over funding, and allowing them to develop high- quality apprenticeships that work for their industry, is the best way to ensure training that leads to great careers.
‘as our energy i nfrastructure changes, to decarbonise and to secure our supplies for the future, it’s important that we have a workforce with the correct skills to meet the challenge.’
a Scottish Government spokesman said last night: ‘Investing in apprenticeships benefits companies, the economy and wider society.
‘ the Scottish Government is committed to improving work and training opportunities for young people who want to enter the workplace.
‘Modern apprenticeships are a key element of this work.
‘ the energy sector i s of huge importance to our economy and we will continue to work closely with the industry to continue to strengthen Scotland’s position as a global leader in the sector.’
‘There is a need to invest now’