Harnessing the Skills to Deliver Net Zero

With energy accounting for 21% of the UK’s total emissions, the energy sector has a key role to play in addressing the climate change crisis. The challenge ahead is even greater when combined with the expected increase in demand in energy supply to quadruple by 2050 as we transition to electric vehicles and low carbon heating to meet net zero ambitions. Currently, 42% of our energy supply is already generated from renewable sources and for the first time in 2020 renewables surpassed fossil fuels.

Nuclear energy has played an integral part in this, generating half of our low carbon energy supply come wind, rain or shine, it provides reliable, efficient, clean energy and has saved us 2.3 billion tons of emissions between 2015 - 2020. However, with the exception of one, all of our current fleet of nuclear power plants will cease to continue in operation after 2035 leaving a huge hole in our clean energy supply. New build nuclear energy generation plants will play a major role in meeting the surging energy demand and net zero targets which is why it is vital that as an industry we ensure we have the talent and skills to deliver them.

With £1.7 billion in direct government funding announced for developing a large-scale nuclear project, on top of a £120M enabling fund announced in 2021 and the recent announcement of £100M of government funding to build a new UK nuclear plant, it is vital that we invest in and expand our nuclear engineering skill base. The UK has been at the forefront of nuclear power for over 60 years, harnessing a highly skilled workforce, however by 2026, 14% of the construction engineering workforce is set to retire. Investing in the next generation and embracing diversity to support in the delivery of the UK’s new nuclear energy projects to decarbonise the planet has never been more important than now

Attracting and developing the next generation of talent

Inspiring the next generation to start a career in construction and engineering and challenging misconceptions will be vital to ensuring we have enough skills to deliver nuclear for net zero. As an industry, we need to increase visibility and knowledge of the exciting, rewarding opportunities and careers available that there are to offer. Through school visits and open days at Exyte Hargreaves we’ve been successful in engaging young people in engineering and inspiring them to start a career in the industry. Many of whom, have gone on to join our Engineering Young Talent Programme, working in various roles throughout the business delivering projects that support the UK’s drive to net zero such as Conventional Island, Hinkley Point C.

Creating opportunities to nurture the skills we need to deliver nuclear for net zero and develop the next generation with apprenticeship and graduate programmes will also be critical for futureproofing the skills we need to address the climate crisis. We’ve supported 46 apprentices and graduates over the last 8 years with a success rate of 100% to be the future faces of the industry. During National Apprentice Week, when we asked what attracted them to join the programme, the encouraging, resounding response was the opportunity to work on major projects in the energy sector.

Diversifying the workforce

Increasing the skills we need to deliver a new nuclear fleet is not something that can be done in attracting and developing the next generation of talent alone. Currently in engineering, only 12.5% of the workforce is represented by women and 12% by black and ethnic minorities leaving an enormous pool of talent behind. Driving forward equality, diversity and inclusion will be key to building the net zero energy workforce, not only will it drive success through bringing different perspectives, experiences and higher creativity which all contribute to better problem solving, it will also increase the pool of talent and skills needed to create a greener energy supply.

In our commitment to creating a truly equal, diverse and inclusive workforce at Exyte Hargreaves we’ve made great strides in breaking down misconceptions around stereotypical roles and barriers in engineering. By engaging early with young people, we have been able to inspire and recruit talent who otherwise wouldn’t have considered a career in the industry. We’ve also worked hard to build an inclusive culture where every individual feels accepted, valued and respected to enable them to thrive and support in retaining talent.