Paul Cox on Energy & Utility Skills Strategy: 312k New Workers Needed and Why FE Matters

We caught up with Paul Cox, Group Chief Executive at Energy & Utility Skills Group, at their conference in Birmingham last week to talk about their newly launched workforce strategy.

Paul Cox launched the Energy & Utility Skills Group’s new workforce strategy at a packed conference at the Hilton Metropole in Birmingham last week, with 400 delegates hearing about what might be one of the biggest workforce challenges and opportunities the UK faces.

Paul Cox launched the Energy & Utility Skills Group’s new workforce strategy at a packed conference at the Hilton Metropole in Birmingham last week, with 400 delegates hearing about what might be one of the biggest workforce challenges and opportunities the UK faces.

Watch the full interview below.

A Strategy Built on Evidence and Collaboration

Paul was keen to emphasise this isn’t a strategy that’s been cooked up in a dark room somewhere. This has been a 12-month journey that started last autumn with workforce demand estimates that have been used by Treasury and government departments.

The strategy sits on four pillars: Research, Attract, Develop, and Retain. Simple pillars, but as Paul explained, there’s real complexity in getting there. The research pillar provides the data and justification for the intensity of effort needed. Then it’s about attracting talent to the sector, developing that talent once they’re in, and critically, retaining them so the sector doesn’t just churn through people.

The development process involved their 70 member organisations, working through 17 network groups that reported to a delivery board. Their CEO Council signed off on the plans in June, and then the work was tested by Public First and sector partners over July and August. The result? A strategy that the industry genuinely owns, with partners backing the Energy & Utility Skills Group to lead, and government departments, including Skills Minister Jacqui Smith, who spoke at the conference, being really positive about the work.

The Numbers That Matter

Let’s talk about the scale here, because it’s genuinely staggering. The Energy & Utility Skills Group’s 70 members directly employ over 200,000 people, with similar numbers again in their supply chains. These members turn over £120 billion-plus a year. So we’re talking about real heft, real influence in communities, families, and individuals.

Now the infrastructure investment driving this workforce need: AMP8 (Asset Management Plan 8) for the water sector is £104 billion of infrastructure investment that needs to get into the ground and built quickly. We need cleaner water, safe sewage systems, and drinkable water, this isn’t optional infrastructure.

On the energy side, there’s a minimum of £92 billion for infrastructure across transmission and distribution, and that’s before we even start talking about small modular reactors or additional nuclear stations.

If all of that infrastructure gets built and the workforce is employed to do it, the productivity benefit to the country is over £80 billion a year. That’s the prize we’re chasing.

Where the Jobs Are (… And What They Are)

So who’s going to drive that £80 billion productivity boost? Those 312,000 new people for 215,000 new jobs. That’s a one-third increase in the workforce. The difference between the two numbers is people leaving the sector, who are factored into the analysis, retirements and natural workforce churn.

And here’s something really important for FE leaders to understand: these aren’t just hard hat jobs. Paul was clear about this. We’re talking about project management roles, cybersecurity jobs, and engineering positions across the board. These are good jobs attached to long-term funding, not gig economy work. They’re with sustainable companies where people can realistically plan for 5 to 10 years of career progression.

These opportunities exist pretty much in every county, every region across the United Kingdom. The workforce demand estimates and all the evidence are published online at EU Skills Group’s website under the strategy section.

The Talent Pool: NEETs, Economically Inactive, and Breaking Cycles

Paul made a really interesting point about where this talent could come from. We’ve got one in seven young people who are NEETs, as Skills Minister Jacqui Smith mentioned in her session at the conference. We’ve also got many millions who are economically inactive or underactive who could be doing more.

The Energy & Utility Skills Group had the Department for Work and Pensions at the conference, and people from the Prison and Probation Service. This is about recognising latent talent that the sector needs for its future. It’s about breaking cycles of offending, reaching different parts of the population, and creating pathways for people who might not see themselves in these careers yet.

For FE providers, this is your remit. These are the learners you work with every day.

Culture, Inclusion, and Five Generations in One Workplace

Paul spent time talking about the culture of inclusion needed to make this work. It’s not enough to attract diverse talent if you’re then going to churn through them because the culture isn’t right. People need to feel part of a team, whatever their background or beliefs.

Here’s a stat that brings it home: Gen Alpha are 15 years old as we stand here today. They’ll be doing work experience in the next three years. With the pension age rising and generational growth coming through, we’re going to have five generations in the workplace simultaneously.

That’s diversity and inclusion right there when we think about age, let alone beliefs, backgrounds, and everything else. The sector needs to tell its great story to attract talent, but then create environments where that talent wants to stay. Because if people have bad experiences and leave the sector entirely, that reputation struggle will make it harder to fill those 312,000 positions.

It’s okay if people move between employers within the sector, that’s natural career progression, but we need them to stay in the sector’s team.

A Living Strategy, Not a Shelf Document

So how does this not just become another strategy gathering dust? Paul’s got a plan for that. Those 17 network groups operating across energy, water, sewage, and waste, covering everything from research and policy to AI, technology, and inclusion, are having their terms of reference revised. The actions in the strategy are being attached to specific network groups as deliverables they’ll own and drive.

These deliverables get tracked through the delivery board structure and up to the CEO Council. Paul’s made a clear commitment: as an organisation with 70 members, they’ll be publishing an annual update on the strategy showing where they’ve exceeded targets and where more work is needed.

This is a living, breathing document that will guide their work with members. Not a drawer document.

What This Means for FE Leaders

The infrastructure investment is coming. The jobs are real. The timeline is urgent. This is a sector that desperately needs what FE does best, creating pathways for learners who might not take traditional routes, developing technical skills, working with employers, and supporting people into sustainable careers.

The Energy and Utility Skills Group is clearly serious about inclusion and reaching beyond the usual talent pools. They’re thinking about NEETs, about economically inactive people, about prison leavers, about five generations working together. That’s the FE audience.

With £196 billion of infrastructure investment at stake (£104bn water + £92bn energy minimum) and an £80 billion annual productivity prize, the sector has the resources to invest in proper training and development. These aren’t short-term gigs, they’re careers.

The strategy is published, the evidence is there, and the sector is mobilised. For FE providers looking at where to focus curriculum development, employer partnerships, and learner recruitment, energy and utilities just put up a very large sign saying “we need you.”

Check out the full video interview above for more from Paul Cox on the strategy, the numbers, and what comes next.