At the same time, ambitions to tackle climate change are gaining momentum, leading to a transformative era in the energy industry where 400,000 jobs in the UK are needed between now and 2050 to meet the government’s net zero ambitions, according to National Grid research. There is a wealth of opportunities for people of all backgrounds to play a part in finding cleaner ways to power our lives – young talent pools are a great place to start finding the skills we need.
There is a clear argument for aligning climate goals with developing young talent, which ultimately supports the UK’s objective to build back better from the pandemic. Young people are critical for futureproofing the country’s workforce and ensuring we have the capabilities in the next five, ten and beyond years to reach net zero. We need their forward-thinking, creative minds with fresh ideas to meet the challenges ahead.
Grid for Good, an energy industry programme led by National Grid which officially launched in November 2020, is coordinating action across the energy sector to give young people from disadvantaged backgrounds access to employment and training opportunities. Targeting those who are, for example, recently unemployed, have low educational attainment, or ex-offenders, the scheme enables them to develop business and industry skills that will help them become part of the new generation building a clean energy future.
In the current pandemic environment, there is a huge opportunity to leverage this untapped young talent and start plugging the UK’s green skills gap. Through mentoring, one to one coaching, insights sessions, work experience, right up to internships, placements and full-time work, the programme can help demystify the energy sector, highlight the huge range of roles available and raise awareness of the bigger picture impact of the industry in the climate change narrative. It can help young people from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds build their network and longer-term support systems, with an alumni group at the end of the scheme which helps them maintain connections and keep motivated.
Working with key charity partners, we’re identifying those disconnected young people and matching them with different parts of the programme, depending on their requirements; for example, do they need support with their CV, interview practice, software skills, building their confidence, or access to a relatable role model?
The Grid for Good structure covers a spectrum of areas that can be tailored to individual circumstances and harnesses existing experience and knowledge within the business through invaluable support from employee volunteers.
Through pilots and trials, the programme has helped over 300 people, encompassing over 2,000 volunteering hours. And since launch we’ve seen a real uptick in interest from candidates with almost 2,000 young people signed up to the scheme by our charity partners since November.
The long-term aim of the programme is for energy companies to come together to change perceptions of the industry, support the potential of the young people who are passionate and motivated by climate change and increase routes into the sector. The two issues of youth unemployment and the green skills deficit are challenges for the whole energy sector and cannot be addressed by one company or organisation alone. There must be a collective effort across energy companies – this will have the biggest and longest-lasting impact.
Employers are in a position of power and influence, and the actions we take today could make a real difference to the next generation of talent and our future business leaders.
Grid for Good recognises that there isn’t a one size fits all approach but can see the potential for energy companies to collaborate on this and find the best approach for their organisation.
Doing so will enable the sector to reap the rewards of supporting diverse, underrepresented young talent, and develop the much-needed skills base for a net zero future.