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Background Context

The Energy Sector Skills Plan has been developed with the Energy sector in Norfolk and

Suffolk, working alongside the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, the New Anglia

Skills Board and supported by SkillsReach.

SkillsReach was contracted to facilitate and prepare eight sector skills plans for the New

Anglia LEP priority sectors. The project was commissioned by the Education and Skills

Funding Agency, in partnership with New Anglia LEP, and funded through the European

Social Fund. Each Sector Skills plan and supporting Data Pack has been developed in

collaboration with local employers and other stakeholders.

The Sector Skills Plan has been developed in partnership with a number of local Energy

stakeholders including major suppliers to the Energy Industry located in New Anglia, EDF

Energy, Vattenfall, ScottishPower Renewables, EEEGR, ECITB, UEA and the New Anglia

FE College Group.

The New Anglia Skills Board places employers at the centre of decision making on skills in

Norfolk and Suffolk to ensure the skills system becomes more responsive to the needs of

employers, residents and the future economy.

SkillsReach is an established East of England-based strategic skills consultancy with an

associate project team with extensive experience of developing skills plans.

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Introduction

The East of England Energy Zone is unrivalled in the UK for its unique mix of gas and oil,

offshore renewables and nuclear energy production. It is a truly global, all-energy sector with

50 years’ experience and expertise that provides us the opportunity to nurture innovation

between sectors, promote transferability for these combined competencies and support the

development of the world’s largest windfarms.

The country faces a significant challenge: to replace its ageing capacity, provide power to

the nation’s homes and businesses and ensure that the nation’s lights do not go out. In rising

to that challenge, we also have the opportunity to create economic growth, to rebalance the

economy towards the regions and in favour of engineering and manufacturing and to attract

inward investment. Nowhere is there a greater opportunity to do that than in East Anglia,

which is already a significant player in the energy sector, with 35% to 45% of the nation’s

gas supply coming through the Bacton terminal, where the Sizewell C nuclear power station

will be built and with Lowestoft lying closest to the East Anglia Array, potentially the world’s

largest wind farm.

The Energy sector Skills Plan for New Anglia has been developed by both the public sector

and the energy industry in the East. It is essential that employers play a full and supporting

role in delivering the identified priority actions. Investing in skills and people is of paramount

importance. We need to improve our skills base to serve the large demand that will come

from the Southern North Sea in the next few years with regard to the oil and gas and wind

sectors and nuclear new build programme. If we do not do that, businesses will source that

expertise from other countries. With your support we will deliver this collective vision for skills

development across New Anglia and deliver on the potential growth of our Energy Coast.

Peter Aldous

Member of Parliament for Waveney

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Contents

Introduction

Overview of the Energy Sector

Sector Definition

Opportunities and Challenges

Employer Feedback

Meeting the Energy Skills Challenge and the Skills for Energy Programme (EEEGR)

College and University Developments

Further Views from industry and stakeholders on the responsiveness of skills provision . 25

The Energy Sector Skills Plan

Priorities for Action

Leadership and Implementation: Reviewing Existing Partnership Structures

Proposed Skills Interventions

Appendix A- Energy Skills Plan Development Process

Appendix B- Energy Evidence Report (Datapack Summary)

Appendix C- Current Skills and Training Provision

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Introduction

The New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has sponsored the development of an

Energy Sector Skills Plan for the New Anglia area. The sector is defined as being a key

economic sector for the New Anglia economy. Across the area there is global all-energy

expertise with 50 years’ expertise in the oil and gas sector, and the world’s largest wind

farms in development off the coast, with a globally competitive renewables supply chain and

support industry.

The East of England Energy Zone is unrivalled in the UK for its unique mix of wind power,

gas and nuclear energy production. The supply chain has decades of experience and

expertise, recognised with Enterprise Zone status. The coast around Great Yarmouth and

Lowestoft is at the centre of the world’s largest market for offshore wind. Furthermore,

capital investment in energy worth £50bn is planned for the region by 2020, with the world’s

largest wind farm in development off the coast and the proposed development of Sizewell C

nuclear power station creating 25,000 jobs.

What A Skills Plan Is For

Skills Plans are being produced in response to our recognised key employment sectors for

Norfolk and Suffolk. The purpose of a skills plan is to ensure that businesses within these

sectors are able to benefit from an appropriately skilled, productive and readily available

workforce. We recognise how important the quality of the workforce is for business

competitiveness and for creating sustainable jobs and careers. Previous plans have been

produced for Health and Social Care, Digital Technologies and Construction.

The skills plan aims to create a social partnership programme between the Energy

sector’s industries and the relevant organisations that target and deliver support across the

areas of New Anglia that experience relatively high levels of economic and social

deprivation. The planned interventions aim to deliver lasting change for these areas by

ensuring relevant training and sustainable employment is made accessible to New Anglia’s

working age residents. Furthermore, that positive connection with education is in place to

inform, inspire and secure the next generation of the Energy Sector workforce.

The skills plans capture meaningful action to make a difference. For this- Energy Sector

Skills Plan, we have captured the following key priorities:

Mobilising Industry Leadership- the plan explains the importance of developing

and securing a sustainable private sector led approach, overseeing skills

development and investment;

ii.

Developing a higher technical engineering offer- feedback from employers has

highlighted the need for a better supply of local, graduate level, mechanical and

electrical engineering skills.

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iii.

Building ‘intra-industry’ and ‘inter-sector’ workforce transferability- feedback

from employers highlighted the need to enable businesses within the Energy sector

to access skills and workers locally from other industries at key times, as much of

their requirements are generic.

iv.

Addressing overall ‘Energy Skills Fragility’- employers are aware of jobs and key

functions that experience skills shortages. We have defined these as fragile areas

that require an appropriate training response, accessible to learners and employers

across all of New Anglia.

Building Inclusive Local Capacity & Securing the Future Energy Workforce -

there are a number of pressure points and key concerns identified linked to the future

supply of employees into the sector overall. We have identified a series of actions to

engage with schools, open up opportunities to move into jobs within the Energy

sector and address imbalances in the workforce linked to age and gender. In

addition, the sector often looks externally out of area to for its labour supply, it is

important to work with employers to tackle the barriers that inhibit the growth in local

residents securing employment in the Energy sector.

vi.

Apprenticeships and Group Training- Given the implementation of the

apprenticeship levy- there should be a more coordinated approach to gather and

deliver apprenticeships linked to employer needs. This plan sets out steps to create a

more cooperative approach towards delivering suitably trained apprenticeships.

The skills plan expands these six priorities as key interventions- demonstrating the evidence,

defining the rationale, clarifying the action, leadership, timing and support resources- for

delivery.

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Overview of the Energy Sector

New Anglia’s Energy Sector is internationally significant, with major operational

energy infrastructure assets and planned infrastructure development across the key

industries of Offshore Wind, Oil and Gas, Nuclear and Low Carbon Renewable

Energy.

The unique combination of geographical phenomena, established, deep rooted expertise

and investment spanning over 50 years- has helped shape a world leading energy presence.

At an aggregate level New Anglia’s combined energy output plays a pivotal role in securing

the UK’s ongoing energy demands; an output that is set to grow significantly throughout the

21^st century. Furthermore, the combination of development, expansion of existing assets

and decommissioning programmes- draws together a sector of significant economic value

and market opportunity; supported by extensive, high quality, supply chains.

Offshore Wind

The UK has been the world leader for offshore wind for almost a decade. The energy

industry infrastructure in place through the oil and gas markets, along with the unique

environmental and geographical phenomena along the Southern North Sea, has enabled the

offshore wind industry to agglomerate and precipitate a rapid plan of further wind farm

development. In 2017 Cambridge Econometrics reported that by 2032, the total amount of

direct employment in the UK offshore wind sector could be in the region of 21,000 FTE jobs.

Currently there are 10,000 FTEs jobs in the sector, however taking into account indirect and

induced employment relating to the industry, it could result in an additional 37,000 FTE jobs

by 2032. They report that the bulk of employment is expected to be along the east coast of

England.¹

The Offshore Wind Sector is working collaboratively at a national level with the UK

Government to develop a Sector Deal that transforms people, places and power across the

UK². A key milestone in achieving this transformation is deploying up to a cumulative total

capacity of 30GW of offshore wind by 2030. National analysis³ is helping to benchmark the

required energy output target against GDP and job creation targets, giving an overarching

business case for infrastructure investment, and thus a catalyst of labour and skills demand

on a long-term basis. This will unlock the investment that will drive a step-change in

increased productivity, export opportunities and the growth of a skilled and diverse workforce

around the UK.

The East of England coast plays host to nearly 70% of the total capacity installed in UK

waters. A summary below captures the key offshore wind developments, highlighting the

overall significance of the operational and planned wind farm infrastructure for New Anglia:

¹ Cambridge Econometrics- Future UK Employment in the Offshore Wind Industry (2017)

² RenewableUK- Offshore Wind Overview- Sector Deal Summary (2018)

³ BVG Associates- Mapping Offshore Wind Target Supply

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•

Dudgeon (Dudgeon Offshore Wind Ltd (a subsidiary of a business consortium

which includes Statoil)- a fully commissioned wind farm generating an optimum

402 MW, located 32 km north of Cromer on the Norfolk coast. The onshore

connection to grid is located at Necton.

•

Greater Gabbard (SSE majority) - a 504MW output operational wind farm installed

on sand banks 23 km off the Suffolk Coast.

•

Scroby Sands (Powergen Renewables) - an operational wind farm located 2.5 km

off the coast from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, with an estimated 60 MW output.

•

Sheringham Shoal (Statoil majority owned) - a 317 MW operational wind farm

spread of 35 km2 located 17 km from the Sheringham coast in Norfolk.

•

East Anglia One and East Anglia One North (ScottishPower Renewables)- East

Anglia One is currently under construction and East Anglia One North is in the

assessment process, combining for a 209 km2 offshore wind zone, profiled to

generate up to 800 MW in energy- located 36 km off the coast from Lowestoft;

•

East Anglia Two (ScottishPower Renewables)- at the early stage assessment

process for a 205 km2 offshore wind zone, profiled to generate up to 900 MW in

energy- located 31 km off the coast from Lowestoft;

•

East Anglia Three (ScottishPower Renewables)- consent was given in August

2017 for the development of a 305 km2, 172 turbine wind farm that is expected to

generate up to 1200 MW of electricity when fully operational. The infrastructure

scope will include up to four offshore collector stations and up to two offshore

converter station platforms. Up to four subsea export cables will be laid to transmit

electricity from the offshore platforms to shore, with anticipated interconnector cables

between the further planned farms- at East Anglia ONE and East Anglia THREE.

Landfall is sited at Bawdsey with onshore transition pits to join the offshore and

onshore cables and up to four onshore underground cables pulled through existing

ducting to be laid by East Anglia ONE, running for approximately 37 km from landfall

to the connection point at Bramford, Suffolk, with jointing pits, to transmit electricity to

a new onshore transformer substation. An onshore transformer substation at

Bramford, Suffolk, to connect the offshore wind farm to the National Grid will also be

built.

•

Norfolk Vanguard (Vattenfall) - a 1.8 GW development proposal classed as a

Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) under the 2008 Planning Act. The

proposed wind farm will be located 47km from the Norfolk Coast and Vattenfall has

accepted National Grid’s connection offers for Norfolk Vanguard based on an

onshore connection point at the existing 400kV Necton National Grid Substation.

•

Norfolk Boreas (Vattenfall) - a 1.8 GW ‘sister project’ development proposal also

classed as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) under the 2008

Planning Act. As with Vanguard, the proposed ‘Boreas’ wind farm will be located

47km from the Norfolk Coast and Vattenfall has accepted National Grid’s connection

offers for Norfolk Boreas based at the existing 400kV Necton National Grid

Substation.

•

Hornsea Project Three (Orsted- formerly DONG)- a pre-application stage proposal

from Orsted scoped at a 696 km2 wind farm installation off the North Norfolk coast,

expected to generate up to 2.4GW of electricity.

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The total wind farm output once planned infrastructure becomes operational and transmits to

grid is expected to be approximately 10.1 GW of combined output, roughly the size of three

next generation nuclear reactors.

Employment growth in the sector has been substantial with the industry workforce

contributing to the 2,400 workers in New Anglia within the energy production and

distributions sub-sector. The increase in automation technology linked to surveying practices

(drones, marine surveying) and the advent of next generation turbine technology, is however

likely to moderate the employment growth for offshore wind overall.

Oil and Gas

The UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) contains substantial oil and gas reserves (with an

estimated 20 billion barrels of oil and gas still yet to recover) and its industry plays a pivotal

role in contributing to the UK’s security of energy supply. The scale of economic contribution

and capital investment outweighs the majority of other economic sectors across the UK- with

an estimated £8.3 billion capital investment (in 2016) and £7 billion in operating assets.⁴

Latest estimates show that the UK offshore oil and gas industry supports more than 302,000

jobs. Employment is spread across the country, with almost 60 per cent in England, 38 per

cent in Scotland and the remainder across Northern Ireland and Wales. The estimated total

employment share for East of England was at 5% (7,500) in 2017. The latest employment

estimate is 160,000 lower than the peak of more than 460,000 jobs in 2014, outlining the

downturn in the oil market from the contraction of oil prices. The pace of contraction in

employment has slowed to 4.2 per cent (2016-17), compared with 15.6 per cent from 2015-

16 and 19.4 per cent from 2014-15.⁵

More than 52,000 people travelled offshore in the UK in 2016, back in line with the long-term

trend seen before 2012. The core offshore workforce (those spending more than 100 days

offshore per year) decreased by 18 per cent from 2014-16, from 28,990 to 23,651. As the

UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) becomes more efficient, productivity has improved with a 42

per cent increase in oil and gas production per core offshore worker since 2014. The

average age of offshore workers has increased to 42.7 from 40.7 in 2014. Around 15 per

cent of the offshore workforce is non-British citizens, around half of whom are from the EU.

New Anglia is an established hub for the oil and gas industry and a large base for major and

international businesses. With a large local workforce pool accessible, including established

channels for ‘importing’ contractors and vast relevant experience, the region has maintained

its reputation as a national centre for offshore activity.

The Bacton Gas Terminal located on the North Norfolk Coast is one of the six main UK gas

terminals which receives gas from the UKCS. Covering an area of 180 hectares its

operating terminals are run by Shell, Eni, Perenco, BBL and the National Grid. Bacton is the

⁴ Oil & Gas UK, Workforce Report (2017)

⁵ Oil & Gas UK, Workforce Report (2017)

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recipient terminal for the GDF Cygnus development which with a £1.4 billion capex is the

largest UK gas discovery to be developed in the last 25 years.

The oil and gas supply chain is diffuse and significant in its reach across the region, the UK

and internationally. Key supply chain categories include:

• marine and subsea,

• facilities engineering,

• operations and maintenance,

• reservoirs, wells and drilling,

• support services and

• major multi-service contracting.

Gas regularly meets up to 50% of GB’s demand for energy, meaning an increasingly

important role for gas extraction and transportation activities, given the advances in drilling

and fracturing technologies that enable former deeper embedded gas fields to be accessed.

Demand therefore for energy production from gas is expected to rise, which further

emphasises the exploration, extraction and engineering activities for the gas market.

Many of the structures producing oil and gas have a limited lifespan, often 25-40 years, and

an increasing number are due to be taken out of service. When redundant, they must be

removed and disposed of, ensuring that the surrounding area is safe from environmental

contamination. Decommissioning has become a major business within the oil and gas

industry and is a lengthy and high cost operation. Decommissioning of existing North Sea oil

and gas facilities is projected to cost £24-36bn over the next 30 years.

There is a however a recognised renaissance in gas production across the Southern North

Sea area, with advancements in drilling technology and recovery techniques enabling a

previous ‘mature’/late-life gas industry and infrastructure to benefit from higher yields and

market efficiencies.

Nuclear Power- Investment Overview

Energy companies are currently planning to build up to 19GW of new nuclear power capacity

in the UK, with the first new reactors expected to be operational in the mid-2020s.

It is estimated that this new generation of nuclear power stations will require a total

investment of at least £70 billion.⁶ The UK currently has 15 reactors with a total generating

capacity of 10 GW of electricity. These stations generate around a fifth of the UK’s electricity

- however they are all scheduled to be retired by 2030. The exception is Sizewell B located

in Suffolk, the UK’s only pressurised water reactor (PWR), which began operations in 1995.

The nuclear new build programme for the UK is for five new nuclear plants by 2030, plus a

decommissioning programme. This means demand is forecast to rise from 87,560 full time

⁶ Nuclear AMRC New Build Plans (2017)

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equivalent staff (FTEs) in 2017 to 100,619 by 2021, requiring a total industry inflow of 7,000

FTEs per year, once replacement demand is considered.⁷

EDF Energy is proposing to build ‘Sizewell C’ a two EPR reactor (a third-generation water

pressurised reactor type) development located north of the existing Sizewell B operating

plant, capable of generating enough electricity to power around 5 million homes- 3.2 GW

output. EDF Energy considers Sizewell C to be one of the biggest and most technologically

complex construction projects ever built in the UK. Its peak operational capability would

generate electricity for 60 years and over the lifetime of the construction an estimated 25,000

employment opportunities would be created. At its peak the construction site workforce

would be about 5,600 people. Once operational, the new power station would support

around 900 permanent jobs. EDF Energy has completed Stage One and Two of its pre-

application consultation for the proposed Sizewell C project. In conjunction with the formal

planning and community consultation, EDF Energy is advancing plans to formalise its supply

chain requirement. An estimated excess of 140 Tier 1 contractors, each planning to deliver

multi-million to several billion-pound contracts and each with multiple Tier 2 and 3 supply

chain requirements, means the programme opportunities across the construction,

manufacturing, engineering, transport and logistics supplier base are significant. EDF

Energy is working closely with the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce to coordinate the

development of a Sizewell Supplier Database.

Nuclear- Current Operational Demands and Decommissioning

In the East of England EDF Energy also operates Sizewell B power station which employs

575 staff and 250 contracting partners. Sizewell B is scheduled to operate until 2035 but this

could be extended by a further 20 years. Sizewell B generates an average of 1.2GW

electricity into the national grid via the UK’s only pressurised water reactor.

There are further opportunities in nuclear power station decommissioning at Sizewell A,

Suffolk and Bradwell, Essex, which could be worth around £3bn to the regional economy.

NSA Nuclear model a peak demand forecast of 100,619 FTEs overall nationally for the

Nuclear sector of which an estimated 15,000 FTEs will be focused within key

decommissioning activity.⁸

Low Carbon Renewable Energy

The UK low carbon and renewable energy (LCRE) economy grew by 5.0% to £42.6 billion in

2016, from £40.5 billion in 2015. Nationally the number of employees working directly in the

LCRE economy in the UK grew by 3.3% to 208,000 fulltime equivalents (FTE) in 2016, from

201,500 in 2015. In 2016, almost half (45.8%) of the UK’s turnover from onshore wind

activities was generated in Scotland (£1.5 billion); by contrast, over 80% (£2.4 billion) of the

UK’s turnover from offshore wind activities was generated in England.⁹

⁷ Cogent Skills/NSA Nuclear- NSA Nuclear Workforce Assessment (2017)

⁸ Cogent Skills/NSA Nuclear- NSA Nuclear Workforce Assessment (2017)

⁹ ONS, UK Environmental Accounts: LCRE Survey (2016)

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The Office for National Statistics Low Carbon and Renewable Energy (LCRE) Economy

Survey found that in England, 83,000 businesses (equivalent to 4.4 per cent of all non-

financial businesses in England) were active in the LCRE sectors in 2014. An estimated

201,000 full time equivalents (FTEs) were employed, representing 1.3 per cent of all non-

financial FTE employees in England. If we apply these national proportions to the New

Anglia economy, then we can estimate that there are approximately 3,000 businesses

operating in the LCRE sector employing around 6,700 FTEs (please note the use of full-time

equivalent employees as opposed to employment used for the other high performing and

underpinning sectors).

Given the pre-dominance of traditional industries such as agriculture and manufacturing

(with pre-existing skills and knowledge suited to diversifying into the LCRE sector), New

Anglia’s geography (coastal, with proximity and good access to shallow off-shore sights

which are preferred for off-shore wind farms), weather patterns (above average sunshine

duration, and below average levels of rain, make solar power an attractive energy source for

households and businesses alike), and the presence of the Sizewell Nuclear Reactor mean

that these figures for employment and business numbers are likely to be fairly conservative.

New Anglia’s LCRE industry is diverse. Given the major agri-tech sector activity, there is a

close association between agricultural by-product and waste and a growing bio-energy

industry across the area. Research into segmenting the LCRE industry across New Anglia

highlighted that for bio-energy there are growing number of micro-generating, farm-based

enterprises, with operating anaerobic digestion and biomass activities. These are in

essence micro-industries, often involving a small association of farming businesses

developing arm’s length CIC based or private holdings for micro generation, combined heat

and power solutions and output to grid- activity. Larger bio-energy and dedicated AD power

plants are more prevalent in Suffolk, with Adnams Bio-energy near Southwold and two

dedicated AD plants run by BioCow in the area.

Alongside bio-energy, New Anglia is home to a number of domestic renewable energy

service suppliers, accessing a range of renewable heat and energy products and installation

solutions from a broader supply base. In addition, there is growing significance across

wave, tidal, and marine based energy research and solutions- with Orbis Energy acting as

an important incubator and catalyst for research led renewable energy activity.

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Sector Definition

For the purposes of this work we have agreed with the New Anglia LEP to follow their

existing definition of the Energy sector, as detailed within the current Strategic Economic

Plan (SEP) (2017). This definition focuses on the core elements of activity - oil, gas,

offshore wind, onshore wind and renewable technologies and nuclear.

The data analysis has also mapped the relevant SIC codes linked to maritime activity. This

is an attempt to capture the element of maritime activity that supports offshore energy

developments.

There are three main additional contextual points to clarify in the scoping of the sector

overall, to understand the data analysis focus and methodology for employer/stakeholder

consultation, these are:

•

The definition includes a revised focus on onshore renewable and low carbon

activity- to align with the New Anglia LEP’s 2017 Strategic Economic Plan. This

refers in particular to energy produced through micro-generation renewable

technology made available through bio-energy, solar, hydro and energy storage to

power. The consultation key findings highlight the importance of aligning the

crosscutting issues to take in to account low carbon renewable technology-

particularly for key areas linked to STEM skills and engagement with careers and

enterprise initiatives- such as engineering and advanced manufacturing;

•

Furthermore, the analysis of the economic performance of the sector, including its

growth and productivity, employer base, employment size and skills and attainment-

focus on the SIC framework developed based on the New Anglia LEP definition. To

this end the analysis does not directly include construction and engineering related

activity. The consultation however has captured previous research and input from

key stakeholders on the significant common areas of activity between these sectors

and therefore has made recommendations demonstrating the importance of cross-

sector building mobility and flexibility of skills and labour supply. Much of the

mapping of the Energy sector that has been performed in the past has taken this

broader definition, which allows supply chain data to significantly increase the scale

of the Energy sector overall;

•

Comparator areas have been scoped based on other nationally significant

concentrations of the defined sector as well as closer coastal and nuclear

developments. Regional data presented for comparator reasons are based on

legacy RDA regional areas rather than the recent devolved LEP regional area

definitions.

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Opportunities and Challenges

A range of employer interest groups, employers and key stakeholders were consulted during

the process of developing the Energy Skills Plan. Consultation with EEEGR’s Special

Interest Groups- covering Offshore Wind, Late Life & Decommissioning, Marine Exploration

and Southern North Sea Gas Extraction/Rejuvenation- has enabled a detailed picture of the

technical advances and market developments to be assessed. In addition, detailed review of

relevant national and local research and policy areas has helped position the issues and

emerging interventions within a relevant industrial context.

In addition, an employer survey was also disseminated via EEEGR and the Chamber of

Commerce to businesses engaged- either primarily or via supply chain activity- to the

industries within the sector. In summary, the consultation groups consisted of a combination

of semi-structured interviews, direct 1-2-1 consultations and group ‘task and finish’ group

sessions with:

• Energy Sector employers- including Tier 1 clients, Tier 2 OEMs and SMEs within

each key industry area and across supply chains;

• Key Industry Stakeholders and Business Representative Groups- including ECITB,

EEEGR, NSA Nuclear, CITB, Chamber of Commerce;

• Key partners of interest and influence- the LEP, Local Authorities, industry

consultants; and

• Educational Institutes and training providers- including FE, HE and the private

training market.

Employer Feedback

Offshore Wind

In a strategic context defining and measuring the major offshore wind workforce needs are

affected by developments at a national level, particularly the formal processes linked to the

planning and approval of the key infrastructure pipeline. The next generation of the offshore

programme for New Anglia is set to dwarf the existing operational activity in terms of scale

and output and aligns with the strategic importance of position the UK offshore wind industry

as the global leader. A key development linked to this is the nascent national Sector Deal

programme emerging as a response positioned in the new Industrial Strategy.

The Industrial Strategy presents Sector Deals as a unique opportunity for government and

private investment to be balanced across a strategic framework to underpin economic

growth and competitiveness. Critically it positions ‘people’ as one of several strategic

themes to frame each Sector Deal- alongside ‘ideas’, ‘infrastructure’ and ‘business

environment’. The Industrial Strategy overall outlines the importance of ‘people’ within the

national economic context, highlighting the investment in STEM skills, new technical route

ways and a new National Careers Strategy- as important cornerstones for national and local

policy. The Sector Deals already announced, which include construction and life sciences-

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two other key sectors for New Anglia- capture how industry will respond through joint

ownership and investment with government for measures that include skills development.

Both Vattenfall and ScottishPower Renewables have highlighted their engagement with the

national Sector Deal initiative- with collaboration towards an Offshore Renewable Sector

Deal. Although at its early stages and with recognition of what is essentially a national

competitive process, given New Anglia’s scale of activity in this area already key feedback

highlights that New Anglia could be positioned as centre of excellence for the Offshore Wind

Industry. A specific emphasis on operations and maintenance, given the existing and

planned infrastructure and the proximity of other key industries providing a relevant skills and

training base- namely oil, gas and nuclear- for New Anglia may act as a catalyst to stimulate

a range of supply side priorities including-

• Greater influence over the careers and enterprise programme locally with enhanced

private sector involvement;

• More collaboration between employers as a group and HE to inform degree and

postgraduate degree technical curriculum, with an added focus on work experience

and graduate internship programmes;

• Defining technical vocational route ways, including apprenticeship standards with

Tier 1 and OEM industry leading the development of apprenticeship engagement

across their supply chains;

Overall the workforce demands for the offshore wind industry are project cycle based -from

the planning, consultation stages through to new build, operations and maintenance.

Feedback from employers indicates a 3:1 ratio between workforce needs at peak build

compared to live running operations. As with other parts of the sector overall this leads to a

transient, contractor based, workforce- with around 25% of the overall workforce being

permanently employed at the Tier 1 level.

Overall the employers with current operational activity in the area experience a ‘polarised’

apprenticeship offer due to OEM constraints and the 5-year manufacturer warranty lead out

time restricting Tier 1 investment in wind turbine training. Analysis indicated that Level 3

Engineering Maintenance apprenticeship provision was actively used through East Coast

College (SSE) for general, performing engineering operational (PEO) roles at turbine base

and sub-station (heavy electrical, fabrication etc) activities but dedicated turbine engineering

training was either dominated via OEMs internally or out of area training, with the University

of Strathclyde cited as an area of expertise in higher technical engineering output.

Employers highlight that recruitment is generally done through national channels, often with

contractors being brought in from previous or concurrent national projects. Key skills needs

include project management skills linked to heavily oriented project-based work methods.

The civil infrastructure investment stages require a mixture of key roles and trade-based

skills from across construction and civil engineering, including digging, cabling/piping and

onshore new build for power transmission.

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Low Carbon Renewable Energy (LCRE)

Key skills needs for this part of the LCRE market includes technical installation and

operational training for CHP/biomass/AD kit operation and health safety training linked to

environmental hazards from the operating environment, such as toxic methane gases.

Training provision in this area is usually provided through non RQF accredited, short,

technical training- paid for by the business and delivered through the private training market-

often linked to industry representative groups- such as HETAS for biomass and sector skills

bodies (e.g. Cogent Skills for AD training through their national training programmes).

Biomass installation usually requires a combination of gas accredited qualifications,

combined with working within a ‘wet’ environment. HETAS provide a direct entry (with NVQ

L2/3 pre-requisites) programme for biomass installation, with training available from its

approved training centre in Sudbury, Suffolk.

The Solar PV industry is broad and contains a high percentage of sole trader, micro and

SME enterprises. There are however an increasing number of enterprises developing a

broader renewable solution, that aims to combine solar PV, with solar thermal and

biomass/CHP installation. NICEIC approved short courses are the standard training route

way for solar PV installation and maintenance, solar thermal and heat pump

installation/maintenance activity. The training is delivered nationwide and usually out of the

New Anglia region.

Consultation with employers within the energy utility industry has highlighted the growing

importance of New Anglia being the home to a number of domestic focused renewable heat

and energy service providers. These provide a client focused assessment and consultation

service, using approved suppliers of renewable heat and power solutions- air source

heating, ground source heating, solar PV and biomass/CHP installations. In addition, there

is a growing demand for intelligent sensoring solutions to regulate heat, lighting, power

output/generation and consumption- linked to plugs, domestic sensor units with digital

capture and transmission technologies.

Employers operating in this market require a balance between financial, commercial and

technical skills. Understanding the needs of the domestic client and presenting solutions

representative of latest industry dynamics and products- requires problem solving and strong

relationship management skills. Feedback from employers has indicated that the workforce

operating in this area is local and is often sourced from a customer service background, up

to a graduate level. There are however no specific courses available linked to the domestic

energy market, with apprenticeship route ways usually following a customer service or

business administration path.

Oil and Gas

New Anglia is home to some of the bigger international employers that provide installation,

maintenance and decommissioning facilities- for Greenfield and Brownfield projects based

off the East Coast in New Anglia. The service listings for many of the key employers

primarily based in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft range from well drilling and installation

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engineering, through to operational roles, on and offshore logistics, cleaning, marine growth

removal, pipe cutting and removing, surveying and decommissioning.

The oil and gas industry has traditionally required a broad engineering skill set across a

range of key disciplines: installation, operations and maintenance, through electrical,

manufacturing and civil/construction route ways. Overall the industry requires a workforce

that has a high level of accredited training (at least to a traditional HNC level/RQF 4) but with

the adaptability to be able to specialise for key roles, such as- crane technicians and

specialist metering technicians. Several employers expressed the importance of planning

‘vertical, horizontal and in-depth skill sets’ for oil and gas- to enable a flexible workforce to be

able to move horizontally between projects (and often other industries- oil/gas/offshore

wind), to provide in-depth capability and develop project management/leadership potential

for vertical Tier 1/OEM/supply chain relationship management.

Feedback from employers within the oil and gas installation and maintenance space

highlights that there is a paucity of labour supply within instrument technician roles, which

bears an increasingly aging (45+) workforce, with contractors often only available out of the

area for specific project based cyclical demands. Feedback highlighted that there was a

robust ‘generic’ training offer up to foundation level but there was a lack of higher technical

engineering route ways- both via traditional graduate engineering programmes and through

vocational training options. Decommissioning and late life work demands increasingly look

for specialised technical roles linked to fault finding, niche servicing and operational

requirements- and the ‘skills offer’ lacked a ‘deep rooted, working environment, technical

discipline’. The feedback overall highlighted the need for a better supply of local, graduate

level, mechanical and electrical engineering skills. Furthermore, well plugging and

abandonment is a skill set in its own right; as the Southern North Sea (SNS) is one of the

first regions to undertake large scale decommissioning there is a real potential to create

specialist skills in this sector, which could be exported globally.

In addition, employers highlighted the increasing commercial skills needed to engage with

operations and maintenance demands through the primary Tier 1s, OEMs and suppliers-

with the importance of financial skills in value chain management- marketing, sales,

investment feasibility planning. Furthermore, the advance of gas extraction techniques and

marine exploration/surveying technology- employers highlighted the need for the workforce

to demonstrate greater transferability of skills between digital, surveying,

engineering/manufacturing and maintenance services. Key examples include:

• the transition from CAD to GIS cloud / thin client web-based mapping systems for

marine surveying, including an increasing use of drone technology. Surveying

practice is becoming increasingly sophisticated through digital and automation

technologies;

• the increased importance of drilling and fracturing operations for the extraction of

deep bed ‘tight’ gas;

• delivery of augmented reality/virtual reality techniques and sub-sea diving technology

for wind turbine OEM production and offshore wind farm development;

• a generic subset of skills linked to oil decommissioning, gas and offshore- for

example survival training, maintenance/service operatives, electrical engineering;

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Nuclear

For nuclear- both the ECITB and the NSA for Nuclear emphasise the key point of needing a

mobile and flexible workforce. Cogent’s Nuclear Workforce Assessment (2017) highlighted

the overall skills demands linked to both the new nuclear programme and national

decommissioning. Engineering and trade-based disciplines are forecast to represent the

most significant skills demands, with a strong emphasis on civil engineering- but it is the

pooling of strongly related occupations that is highlighted as critical to meet fluctuating

demands:

“The nuclear industry renaissance is taking place against the backdrop of both a

large, well-developed decommissioning activity, and a significant defence

programme. Large parts of the supply chains are distinct, but equally strong overlaps

exist. Whether on different projects within the same sector, or between civil and

defence sectors, many of the skills requirements are the same, or similar. It follows

that there is great benefit in ensuring that the development and utilisation of skills

happens in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Understanding the mobility of

skills, and how that knowledge can be applied to the phasing of projects, will be

essential in supporting the industry and strengthening those skills currently regarded

as fragile.” (Nuclear Workforce Assessment, 2017, NSA Nuclear/Cogent).

The Nuclear Workforce Assessment classifies the skills needs of the nuclear industry into

three bands:

• Band1 - subject matter experts equating to 1% of the overall workforce, representing

the highly specialised skills for the nuclear industry;

• Band 2- nuclear specific skills equating to 18% of the overall workforce, representing

nuclear specialised skills relevant to the industry, for example nuclear safety case

engineers; and

• Band 3- generic skills equating to 81% of the overall workforce, which may also be at

a higher skilled level but not nuclear specific.

Across the three bands a number of ‘fragile skills’, highlighting the supply into project

resource areas most at risk from poor supply- these include:

• Control and instrument engineers;

• Specialist safety engineers;

• Commissioning engineers

• Electrical engineers; and

• Project and planning control.

Feedback from EDF Energy through the consultation corroborates the national picture

reported by NSA/Cogent. Overall, New Anglia requires a workforce development

programme for Nuclear that can enable the cross-referral to and from other key industries

within the Energy sector and other relevant sectors in the local economy- namely

construction and manufacturing. This allows a more resilient and flexible response towards

the changing cyclical demands, which recognising the upturn in the new Nuclear

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programme, alongside offshore infrastructure development against the supply of key trades

and roles within construction and horizontal workforce ‘virement’ from oil and gas.

Cross-cutting Issues

Energy-Construction- data evidence and feedback from employers/stakeholders highlights

that the relationship that the Energy sector has with Construction is the most prominent

crosscutting issue. The onshore construction linked to the offshore wind combined with the

new nuclear programme will create a massive increase in construction related roles and

functions over the next ten years for New Anglia. Planning effectively for upscale and

downscale stages, skills and labour supply will become critical elements to ensure the

benefits of the investment are maximised for the local area. Civil engineering disciplines can

also be attributed to demands linked to onshore infrastructure development for energy to

grid, from offshore wind farms and hydro/tidal schemes.

CITB have previously created solutions to enable smooth transfer between sectors, including

construction and nuclear. A specific example of this is the general Construction ILM with

niche Nuclear modules available to those who need to specialise and build on a strong

generic base of skills. This approach also increases efficiencies and reduces duplication of

training for those crossing between sectors. In relation to recording individual’s construction

related achievements, in April CITB will launch the Construction Training

individual has completed. This will help with transferring between sectors as all

standardised sector training will be recorded and will give employers confidence in what

training has been completed. This will be launched alongside the Construction Training

Directory which will list the availability all standardised construction related training (which is

within CITBs scope) nationally and in a specific location. These systems will support CITB in

directing funding to areas of greatest need and in incentivising training in ‘fragile’

occupations. CITB have indicated their support with the ongoing development of the

Energy Skills Plan’s key interventions- looking ahead.

The data analysis captured within the Data Pack, highlights the skills demands linked to

growth in RQF Level 4+ roles- at first year degree (inc. HNC L4) level and higher ‘Chartered’

professional level, which is particularly prominent due to the impact of replacement of

existing roles linked to age and retirement. Analysis also highlighted that entry level 2/3

roles form an important part of the growth forecast for the sector overall- particularly for

trades, operatives and transport roles.

Electricity Generation and Community Energy- the demise of petrol and diesel engines,

combined with the ascendency of electric vehicles will act as a catalyst for expanding the

generation, storage and usage of electricity. The impact of which will stimulate new

investments and technical solutions across the power generation and distribution network as

a whole and will likely increase the viability for micro generating, LCRE investment at both a

commercial and domestic level.

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Community energy alone is defined as covering all aspects of collective action to reduce,

purchase, manage and generate energy. The skill set relevant to this area draws in a broad

range of technical and non-technical- knowledge/financial and management skills.

Community energy projects have an emphasis on local engagement, local leadership and

control and the local community benefiting collectively from the outcomes. Furthermore

community-led action can often tackle challenging issues around energy, with community

groups well placed to understand their local areas and to bring people together with common

purpose. An expanding community energy market referenced by the Department of

Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) covers:

• Community-owned renewable electricity installations such as solar photovoltaic

(PV) panels, wind turbines or hydroelectric generation.

• Members of the community jointly switching to a renewable heat sources.

• Working in partnership with the local Distribution Network Operator (DNO) to pilot

smart technologies.

• Collective purchasing of heating oil for off gas-grid communities

• Collective switching of electricity or gas suppliers.

Aligned with this is the issue of including the enablement of community energy and LCRE

solutions linked to economic development initiatives that tackle economic and social

disadvantage. Mapping and supporting the acquisition of skills within this context becomes

an important aspect of the aims of developing a crosscutting New Anglia social partnership

plan for the sector.

Further employer consultation also highlighted the following crosscutting issues:

• engineering fabrication and installation suppliers- pipe cutting and installation, steel

fixing, maintenance and downstream supply project management- work broadly

across a range of sectors in the New Anglia economy- with petrochemical, agri-tech,

construction and energy- representing a generic market demand for ‘craft’

engineering trades. Feedback from employers has highlighted that craft ‘site skills’-

measuring, angling, offsetting, cutting and welding (to required standards) - are in

high demand and there is a lack of local training available. One key employer

highlighted that they were increasingly looking to EU labour to fulfil site roles,

particularly for welding functions (approx. 10% of the workforce);

• the growing importance of aligning advanced manufacturing and engineering with

energy in the context of Industry 4.0, particularly on the back of the increasing use of

digital and cloud-based technologies.

• feedback from employers and from national reports (NSA Workforce Skills- highlights

the gender imbalance across the sector’s key industries- both in terms of higher

skilled, higher paid roles and the supply and upward progression into key roles

overall (ECITB highlights that 92% of the engineering construction sector are male)¹⁰;

¹⁰ ECITB- Engineering Today (2017)

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• concerns regarding the relevancy of contemporary industry experience of the

trainers/lecturers at FE and HE level- particularly linked to the increasing use of

surveying technology, advances in turbine technology, advanced engineering

specialism, changing decommissioning demands on Tier 1 suppliers and gas

extraction operations;

• enabling Tier 1, OEMs and broader supply chains need to better understand the fit

between ‘on the job’ skills required for commercial operations and the current

provision/qualification offer. Training is usually presented by programme title and

qualification rather than career pathway and occupational areas;

Meeting the Energy Skills Challenge and the Skills for Energy Programme

(EEEGR)

Efforts to consult with the SME base locally highlighted the view from smaller businesses,

previously consulted via earlier sector-based research, that many of the strategic issues they

experienced regarding skills are still relevant. Specifically, the issues that were captured in

the 2012 report- Meeting the Energy Skills Challenge. This detailed analysis of sector

development and skills supply carried out in the 2012 report included canvassing a wide

range of employers and stakeholders across the sector. Its key findings were instrumental in

establishing the EEEGR led ‘Skills for Energy’ programme.

The 2012 report takes a clear strategic shape in assessing the ‘structural issues’ to develop

responsiveness, employer ownership and partnership delivery/alignment- under the ‘Skills

for Energy’ banner- with emphasis on sharing skills intelligence, closer cooperation between

suppliers and clients. The report’s key recommendations included¹¹:

• Recognising growth in offshore, nuclear, marine and CCS, with some growth in

micro-generation;

• No critical changes to technical skills demands- with ‘underpinning needs’ for

engineering- operations, installation, maintenance and cross-cutting health and

safety needs to enable the integration of some technologies- (e.g. micro generation,

bio-energy.)

• Oil and gas- to offshore and low carbon demands- skills transferability needs

highlighted, with emphasis on greater cooperation between accrediting partners for

H&S;

• Engineering with project management experience- such as marine engineering,

aeronautical, geology and generic project management and commercial development

skills;

• STEM focus for graduate, FE and school engagement;

• Training offered is too generic and not enough industry specialism across all areas,

particularly engineering roles;

¹¹ Nautilus Consulting/EEEGR- Meeting the Energy Skills Challenge (2012)

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• Embedding employer relationship management and brokering for SMEs in group

purchasing/GTA type modelling;

The Skills for Energy programme led by EEEGR since 2012 highlights some of the key

recommendations from the 2012 report, with a key focus on coordinating the development of

the Energy Skills Foundation programme in partnership with East Coast College and ECITB.

The foundation programme acts as an important pipeline into the industry for entry to

intermediate roles. Furthermore, EEEGR have acted as a key catalyst for the development

of the HE engineering investment at UEA and through Skills for Energy, provide an ongoing

developmental support conduit to broker linkages between the industries within the sector

and the university programmes. Further highlights of EEEGR’s role include an operational

partnership with DWP Jobcentre Plus to support the relevancy of job brokering and welfare

to work support that reflect the needs of energy employers and a headline annual event to

act as a strategic touch point between education and industry to inform raise awareness of

energy related careers and education pathways. To align with EEEGR’s partnership with

DWP locally- CITB also have a national partnership agreement with DWP, which reinforces

and celebrates their collective work on promoting the jobs and opportunities available in the

sector to DWP clients. A summary of the Skills for Energy programme is captured below.

Energy Sector Skills Plan v004.2

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KPI

Project

Details

Measure

No.

Percentage of students who

Deliver a successful and

are on track to complete the

informative programme, whilst

programme.

maintaining and raising the

Percentage of students that

profile to ensure sustainability

progress from the course into

and a continual meeting of the

a position within the energy

needs of the industry in a

industry or into further

Energy Skills

manner that remains unique in

education following the

Foundation

its delivery.

completion of each academic

Programme

year.

(ESFP)

Encourage an increase in

Number of industry

industry support through

representatives attending

attendance at the programme’s

ESFP events during each

events.

academic year.

Review, investigate and secure

Number of locations

potential additional locations for

delivering the programme

the delivery of the programme.

during each academic year.

Maintain and raise the profile of

Number of students that

the degree programmes and

progress from the course into

encourage ongoing industry

a position within the energy

involvement to ensure course

industry or into further

Degree

content remains up-to-date,

education following the

Programme

relevant, fit for purpose and

completion of each academic

Support

consistent.

year.

Extend our support to

Number of relevant locations

alternative providers of Energy

engaged with the SfE

Engineering programmes within

programme during each

the region.

academic year.

Provide a programme of

Military in the

support for service leavers and

Number of service leavers

Energy Industry

veterans to improve access to

contacted per annum.

the industry.

Improve ability of job centres to

meet the needs of the energy

industry, increasing knowledge

of advisors and opportunities

Number of EEEGR / energy

Energy

for job seekers, including ex-

industry events / meetings

Employment

military. EEEGR to assist with

attended by nominated

Adviser (EEA)

facilitating introductions across

Energy Employment Adviser

the industry to enable greater

each quarter.

understanding of the services

offered by the jobcentre and by

the EEA.

Promote and support the

Number of courses delivered

Introduction to Oil & Gas,

Introduction to'

each month which meet the

Offshore Wind, Nuclear and

Courses

minimum number of

Energy courses in partnership

attendees (6 per course).

with East Coast College.

Energy Sector Skills Plan v004.2

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KPI

Project

Details

Measure

No.

Engage with a number of

Number of external

external organisations in order

organisations which volunteer

to enlist their support in

their support in relation to the

providing a successful and

event.

beneficial event.

Promote the energy industry

Total number of students

within the region and increase

attending the event.

education provider's knowledge

Annual SfE

Total number of education

as to what’s to come in the

Event

providers attending the event.

future.

Encourage current students to

consider the energy industry as

Percentage of students

a potential future career path

indicating that they would be

and ensure that their key

interested in pursuing a

influencers are aware of and

career within the energy

can understand the

industry in the future.

opportunities which lay ahead.

Increase the knowledge of

Percentage of attendees

event attendees as to the

indicating that that following

potential careers and

their visit to the event, they

opportunities which are

are more aware of the roles

presented to the region as a

and career options which the

result of the ongoing works

energy industry can offer.

within the energy sector.

Provide a variety of

opportunities for industry to

interact with students through

Percentage of exhibition

interactive STEM based

stand holders indicating that

activities which aim to excite

they would like to return to

students about engineering and

the event in later years.

the types of activities and

thinking which it may entail.

Ensure the engagement of key

Communications

stakeholders in SfE projects

Number of organisations

& Promotion of

including private and public

present at SfE Workgroup

SfE Projects

sectors, academia and

meetings.

education.

Attend and support a variety of

external events and initiatives

External Events

Number of external events

which are key to promoting

& Initiatives

and initiatives attended.

skills development within the

energy industry.

Source- EEEGR 2018

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College and University Developments

There is an opportunity to a achieve a step change in the method of engaging and

responding to the sectors employment and skills needs- through the £10 million Energy

Skills Centre, coupled with New Anglia LEP investment across the county- including the

West Suffolk College £7.5 million Engineering investment. Assessment of an IoT within this

context, alongside the engagement with national Sector Deal initiatives- creates a new

strategic context to position employer leadership for skills within the sector, drive investment

and responsiveness, and develop a New Anglia wide multi-site offer.

The existing Skills offer is extensive in terms of engineering related provision and the new

skills infrastructure investment creates greater opportunity to deliver technical and

responsive solutions. However, the presentation of the offer for New Anglia is generally set

at a lower technical ‘foundation level’ from an employer’s perspective, despite recent

investment made by UEA in its HE Engineering faculty and undergraduate and postgraduate

levels.

In addition, training programmes are described by award or qualification and predominantly

within engineering and construction related pathways- and not as a common training plan for

energy per se and are generally limited up to and including extended diploma Level 3.

The progression of career and training route ways for key technical energy related jobs is

therefore not presented, particularly for the engineering roles described across the key

industries. This is particularly the case for apprenticeship pathways from intermediate,

higher and advanced levels. Given the implementation of the apprenticeship levy- there

should be a more coordinated approach to gather and deliver apprenticeships linked to

employer needs.

A common theme emerging from the consultation with employers through the research was

the importance for the ‘joined up’ momentum between the FE and HE community to be

maintained for the benefit of the sector overall.

Appendix C captures the local provision matrix, including FE, HE, apprenticeship and known

private sector provider training opportunities.

Further Views from industry and stakeholders on the responsiveness of skills

provision

• Energy Social Employment and Training Partnerships- Employers expressed the

importance of developing social partnerships to strengthen the number of young

people and new entrants into the Energy Sector, particularly targeted in key areas of

New Anglia that experienced higher levels of economic and social exclusion. To this

end it was felt there needed to be closer examination of how provision aimed at

helping people gain the relevant skills to enter into the sector from a disadvantaged

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starting point was appropriately linked in to industry within the sector itself. It was felt

that mainstream DWP provision, as well as ESF and Big Lottery Funded activity

could all be ‘hard-wired’ alongside industry investment in work experience, entry level

job opportunities and targeted careers advice and enterprise support initiatives.

EEEGR, through their Skills for Energy programme, have been a trailblazer in this

area, with a unique focus on working with DWP locally to align sector-based

employment support with proximity to the industry through its members.

•

Adult Skills Budget and Strategic ‘Multi-sited’ Alignment- The Tier 1 employers

emphasised the importance of ensuring that the adult skills budget was appropriately

aligned to the emerging needs of the sector overall and that the planning and

allocation of funds particularly at an FE level was reflective and responsive to need.

The advances seen with the FE College Group network and the Energy Skills Centre

‘hub’ at East Coast College was seen as a significant step in developing the overall

responsiveness of the local training and skills offer. Employers engaged with the

Sector Deal development nationally highlighted that the potential of the Institute of

Technology programme would act as an important element overall for creating

national sector specialism across New Anglia, providing multi-sited, accessible and

relevant T1 skills expertise. Feedback from EDF Energy and EEEGR highlighted

how the IoT could help respond to the ‘generic’ call for producing an adaptable and

flexible engineering supply for the sector overall.

•

Energy Apprenticeship SME Charter- SME engagement and apprenticeship

demand- overall the uptake of energy specific apprenticeships has been difficult to

evidence due to the specific sector mapping definitions established in the plan’s

scope. Apprenticeship supply is largely channelled through cross-sector demands

within construction and manufacturing areas. Larger employers however are keen to

stimulate greater apprenticeship uptake from their supply chains as a way of

demonstrating quality in their own upstream service offer to Tier 1 clients. With the

advent of the apprenticeship levy- feedback highlighted that the timing is opportune

to promote a more ‘group training’ based model for SME engagement in

apprenticeships, with ECITB cited as a potential sponsor of a pooled model, which

defines a generic set of technical skills that can be universally offered across the

area and then recognises areas of specialism according to industry specific roles.

•

Single Workforce Planning Conversation- stakeholders, including recruitment and

training bodies, expressed the frustration of having to work reactively to service

training and employment demands for the sector overall- based on limited, short term

knowledge of projects and upturn patterns. Given the planned national scale

investment for nuclear and offshore and the recognition of an upturn in gas

production, alongside a universal recognition of the ‘generic and flexible pull’ across

the key industries- a single workforce planning schedule or prospectus would give

confidence in the service providers to invest time and resources against forecast

growth areas.

•

“Future Energy”- careers and enterprise coordination- the importance of

influencing the careers and enterprise system to promote the sector overall, inform

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post 16 education and training choice and drive enterprise capability- were

universally highlighted by all employers and key stakeholder consulted. The Tier 1

employers consulted expressed the importance of building the local capacity of

supply given the sharp upturn in workforce demand expected for the offshore and

nuclear new build programmes. Consideration was expressed around identifying

local training and employment targets to maximise the job opportunities for New

Anglia residents, with specific geographic targeting for areas of high deprivation. The

initial task and finish group activity highlighted a proactive careers and enterprise

strategy as the overall key priority for the plan, given the importance of addressing

supply shortfalls, particularly for STEM roles and the gender imbalance (92% of the

national construction engineering workforce are men (ECITB, 2017)). Labour market

intelligence published by ECITB highlights on a national scale the opportunities for

growing the next generation of engineering professionals, balanced with the

challenges of age- with an anticipated 91,000 engineers (20% of the national

workforce) having retired or being close to retirement by 2026.¹²The new National

Careers Strategy (2017) outlines a detailed plan to align teaching, careers advice

and enterprise support-promoted by industry- as an overarching response to the

Industrial Strategy and drive towards a social inclusive UK.¹³ It is therefore important

to position the response from industry on this consultation within this broader context,

given the proactive developments occurring on Sector Deals and significant

infrastructure development. At the centre of the new Careers Strategy is the role of

the national Careers Enterprise Company, localised Careers Enterprise Development

intermediaries and employer led Enterprise Advisers. A careers and enterprise

sector intervention overall would need to engage with these elements to shape and

influence how the national strategy evolves across New Anglia. The region is

already in a strong position with existing activity coordinated through innovative

online platforms such as ‘icanbea...’ which is being used by Tier 1s across New

Anglia and the careers awareness events coordinated through EEEGR.

¹² ECITB- Engineering Today: The Supply and Demand for Engineers in the UK (2017)

¹³ National Careers Strategy: Making the Most of Everyone’s Skills and Talents (2017)

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The Energy Sector Skills Plan

Priorities for Action

The analysis of need from the consultations and reports on the Energy sector’s key

industries nationally, shows that the sector faces a series of current and future challenges in

sourcing the workforce and skills needed to support current operations and future market

opportunities. The evidence captured highlights a range of ongoing, deeply rooted, issues

that the sector faces, which were identified in 2012- including the availability of engineering

technical skills at a level higher than what is currently experienced (i.e. RQF 4+).

Furthermore, the issues of increasing fresh supply into the sector, STEM engagement and

developing the flexibility of the local workforce to operate between industries, remain

underlying challenges.

The consultation with the key employers that responded to the invite to take part in

developing the skills plan evidence base, has highlighted a genuine awareness of the key

barriers faced across the sector and a willingness to get involved in to address them.

Overall employers seem keen to work together to address future skills supply issues.

The priority actions set out in the plan are designed to address the issues identified through

the employer consultation:

Mobilising Industry Leadership- the advent of the Industrial Strategy and

opportunity to drive co-investment through Sector Deals, combined with a new

Careers Strategy- offers an opportune timing to corral industry leadership to give

voice and oversight- input, intelligence and guidance- to address the main demands

the sector experiences now and will face in the foreseeable future.

ii.

Developing a higher technical engineering offer- Feedback highlighted that there

was a robust ‘generic’ training offer up to foundation level but there was a lack of

higher technical engineering route ways- both via traditional graduate engineering

programmes and through vocational training options. The feedback overall

highlighted the need for a better supply of local, graduate level, mechanical and

electrical engineering skills.

iii.

Building ‘intra-industry’ and ‘inter-sector’ workforce transferability-

Understanding the transferability of skills-, and how that knowledge can be applied to

the phasing of projects, will be essential in supporting the industry and strengthening

those skills currently regarded as fragile. The feedback from employers highlighted

two levels of planning- one involving assessment of project lifecycles and workforce

planning between industries within the sector and a further dimension understanding

the dynamics between the sector overall and its inter-relations with New Anglia’s

other priority sectors- specifically construction and advanced manufacturing.

iv.

Addressing overall ‘Energy Skills Fragility’- applying NSA Nuclear/Cogent’s

model for defining ‘skills fragility’ and recognising the generic nature of demand

across the sector, allows a suite of key skills sets to be defined. Accordingly, to drive

responsiveness in the skills system- the skills community should plan and

communicate joint solutions for addressing skills weaknesses, demonstrating how

both course content and outcome meets need and developing the accessibility of

training for employers and learners across New Anglia via a multi-site offer.

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Building Inclusive Local Capacity & Securing the Future Energy Workforce -

there are a number of pressure points and key concerns identified linked to the future

supply of employees into the sector overall. Key issues cover addressing the

combined scale of replacement and growth demands, addressing gender and age

imbalances, stimulating private sector investment and whole sector coordination in

careers and enterprise engagement and creating a universal set of social aims to

maximise the positive impact the sector has for New Anglia and its areas of key

economic/social pressure.

vi.

Apprenticeships and Group Training- Given the implementation of the

apprenticeship levy- there should be a more coordinated approach to gather and

deliver apprenticeships linked to employer needs. Apprenticeship supply is largely

channelled through cross-sector demands within construction and manufacturing

areas. Larger employers however are keen to stimulate greater apprenticeship

uptake from their supply chains as a way of demonstrating quality in their own

upstream service offer to Tier 1 clients. With the advent of the apprenticeship levy-

feedback highlighted that the timing is opportune to promote a more ‘group training’

based model for SME engagement in apprenticeships, with ECITB cited as a

potential sponsor of a pooled model, which defines a generic set of technical skills

that can be universally offered across the area and then recognises areas of

specialism according to industry specific roles.

The skills plan captures and expands these six priorities as key interventions- defining the

rationale, action, leadership, timing and support resources for delivery.

Leadership and Implementation: Reviewing Existing Partnership Structures

New Anglia’s Energy Sector is a growing and productive market, with internationally

significant investment across its core group of industries and with an increasingly important

role to play in the overall challenge of meeting the UK’s current and future energy demands.

The adoption and utilisation of skills are fundamental within higher performing workplaces

and there is a clear call to align skills with economic competitiveness through the new

Industrial Strategy and the UK’s key industrial sectors, of which Energy is one. The delivery

of the sector skills plan should be led and supported by industry; furthermore, the plan itself

should act as a tool to influence change and help achieve a balance of short, medium- and

longer-term goals. To this end an underpinning vision would give direction and overall

purpose for the skills plan itself, with a model vision being:

‘To achieve a world class skills offer for New Anglia’s Energy Sector, which enables

its industries to be productive and competitive, provides greater career opportunities

for all and delivers a highly talented, flexible workforce.”

To achieve this single vision three key aims can be established as the guiding principles for

New Anglia’s Energy Skills Plan:

• To empower leaders within the Energy Industry and Skills Sector to work together as

a single group to lead through change and achieve the common vision/core aims- of

the Energy Skills Plan;

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• To innovate new solutions in response to the ongoing skills challenges the industry

faces, through robust, ongoing, consultation and effective collaboration between the

sector’s employer and skills community;

• To grow the future and current workforce, enhancing the coordination between

industry and education, developing effective workforce mobility between the sector’s

main industries and delivering greater opportunity for all New Anglia’s residents to

gain and sustain a career in the Energy sector.

To achieve the vision and core aims of the Energy Skills plan, effective leadership and

governance is important. Leadership, balanced between employers and the education and

skills sector but with employer responsiveness at the core, should play the primary role in

driving forward the plan’s key priorities. As it stands the partnership and stakeholder ‘map’

for the Energy Skills sector is genuinely perceived as fragmented and causes a dilution and

duplication of resources and intelligence overall- this was a common issue highlighted via

the stakeholder consultation. There was also optimism expressed by stakeholders that a

realigned partnership approach would help balance both Norfolk and Suffolk’s interests,

reflecting the spatial clustering and the more coastal distributed spread of the sector’s key

industries.

An optimum partnership model should aim to build on the key assets already in place across

New Anglia and work with the New Anglia LEP and the Skills Board, to affect change and

oversee delivery plan activity- in a cost effective and consistent approach.

The partnership model should aim to consolidate rather than displace important existing

activity, but it should be given the mandate to challenge and positively support developments

within the skills system across New Anglia that affects the Energy sector. In terms of HE

and FE, New Anglia is already well placed to align and work strategically with industry. New

Anglia’s FE Principals’ Group and the presence of an Energy Skills Development

Coordinator- backed by FE, will ensure colleges are able to work directly with industry at a

strategic level to deliver the interventions in this plan.

To this end the existing key groups and key activities that have a focus on skills for the

Energy Sector should be consulted, with the intention of adapting and rationalising them to

ensure they are representative of the sector overall, as defined in this plan. Furthermore, it

will be imperative that they can work directly with the New Anglia Skills Board to deliver the

recommended interventions. The key groups/partnerships to consult with cover:

• Suffolk Energy Coast Delivery Board- Skills Sub Group (SECDB-SSG)

• Skills for Energy Working Group (chaired by EEEGR, which feeds into the main

EEEGR Board)

• ECITB and the Skills for Energy Partnership (EEEGR) and the nascent Energy Skills

Centre Partnership (East Coast College)

• NSA Nuclear and the Sizewell Supply Chain Network (Suffolk Chamber)

It is important to reiterate that the role of the New Anglia Skills Board is to drive the strategic

vision and tactical aims, and priorities, of New Anglia’s suite of sector skills plans- across all

of New Anglia. The Skills Board recognises the competitiveness of the skills market as a

‘positive force’ and aims to work with expert stakeholders such as EEEGR, the Orbis Energy

centre, the New Anglia Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering Network (NAAME), the

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Chambers of Commerce and other interest groups to align- but not dictate- activity.

Furthermore, the activity linked to education and enterprise support is complex and cannot

be directly governed due to national, regional and localised funding streams and sponsors.

The Skills Board encourages these stakeholders to deliver an effective interface with key

employers aiming to engage and influence skills outcomes. Furthermore, to ensure the

interventions established within this plan can be successfully implemented, a common

framework of action needs to be established cooperatively through strong, joined-up,

partnership working.

The new Industrial Strategy positions the importance of developing national influence

between key sectors and skills partners, to drive skills reform and maximise the resource

‘investment balance’ between private and public sponsors. Employer Ownership of Skills

has already been tested by government and the advent of the Employer Levy signifies

increased importance of providing skills outcomes that ultimately drive productivity.

To this end partners should ensure there is a focal point for embedding regional elements of

any sector deal awarded that bears influence on the Energy sector’s key industries, aiming

to position New Anglia as a centre of excellence for energy skills.

The consultation map between the New Anglia Skills Board, existing partnership groups

and the Energy Skills Plan’s key interventions- is summarised below.

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Proposed Skills Interventions

Intervention 1- Mobilising Industry Leadership

Rationale: the advent of the Industrial Strategy and opportunity to drive co-investment

through Sector Deals combined with a new Careers Strategy- offers an opportune timing

to corral industry leadership to give voice and oversight- input, intelligence and guidance-

to address the main demands the sector experiences now and will face in the foreseeable

future.

There was a considerable consensus from stakeholders that the established Energy Skills

partnership arrangements did not always have the level of cross- sector representation or

strength of employer voice. There was also a concern, however, about the risks of

creating ‘yet another group’ which may result in duplication and further time commitments.

Action to be Taken: consultation with employers through the skills planning exercise

including addressing a key theme focused on taking forward skills action for New Anglia.

Employers were keen to express their views regarding skills issues and also positive

about their involvement in steering the ongoing development of the skills planning

interventions.

Proposed actions include:

• Review the remit of existing key skill partnership groups to establish their potential

to evolve into an employer-led, New Anglia-wide sector skills steering group that

could represent the New Anglia sector; across the specific industries /

geographies, articulating a broad employer voice (both Tier 1 and local

employers); and including other stakeholders such as skills providers, local

authorities etc.

• Either develop an existing stakeholder group (e.g. Skills for Energy / SECDB) to

take on this exciting remit or create a totally new group

• Establish the terms of reference and membership of any new partnership or

revised group using input from the New Anglia Skills Board;

• Consider relationships with existing skills related partnerships and identify roles

and responsibilities, ensuring that duplication is avoided, or rationalisation takes

place;

• Identify the relevant chair/lead sponsor role(s) and delivery plan (ensuring the

conduit with the Skills Board is maintained);

• Position Sector Deal and Skills Plan priorities- helping to support industry through

joined-up local leadership and identify the areas of specialism that promote New

Anglia on a national scale;

• Provide a strategic focus for mapping and targeting skills investment for New

Anglia, including skills infrastructure development, extra adult skills funding

opportunities and careers and enterprise public/private sector initiatives.

Leadership: Overall industry itself should have oversight of the Energy Skills Plan across

all of the strategic interventions; however, there should be a strategic, strong and

responsive representation with education and Local Authorities.

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Intervention 2- Developing a Higher Technical Engineering Offer

Rationale: Feedback highlighted that there was a robust ‘generic’ training offer up to

‘foundation’ degree but there was a lack of higher technical engineering route-ways- both

via traditional graduate engineering programmes and through vocational training options.

The feedback overall highlighted the need for a better supply of local, graduate level,

mechanical and electrical engineering skills.

Employers have expressed some frustration at the lack of skills supply at a technical

engineering level- from RQF 4 and above, with a particular emphasis on Graduate and

Postgraduate options- notably for the oil, gas and offshore industries. The recent national

labour market research carried out by ECITB highlights a sharp fall in graduate and

college taught engineering output (being at its lowest level since 2012).¹⁴ It was

recognised that there was a growing energy engineering presence from UEA and UoS but

that this output had technical limitations (instrumentation at height, fault finding and

operational roles). Feedback illustrated that engineers with technical capability were often

sourced from out of the region, with Strathclyde cited as an area of expertise.

Feedback from education stakeholders highlighted the need for a firm business case-

expressing demand that is of a significant scale to warrant skills investment and

infrastructure development. Industry specialists also cite examples of where the local

area has competitive skills advantage. For example, the Southern North Sea is one of the

first regions to undertake large scale decommissioning and there is real potential to create

specialist skills (e.g. well-plugging and abandonment) which could be exported globally.

Action to be Taken: Creating and sustaining the ability to hold a joint dialogue to capture,

define and deliver technical engineering is required.

• Develop closer links to the key industries that have highlighted skills gaps within

technical engineering role- ensure an ongoing process is developed;

• Define technical capabilities and align with existing and new ASB and HEFCE

funded provision- identifying course modules; The evidence base and the skills

discussions with employers suggest that specialist provision in areas such as: -

Control and Instrument Engineers; Safety engineers; Commissioning Engineers;

Electrical Engineers; and Project and planning control are areas where high quality

local jobs (both replacement and new jobs) are proving very difficult to fill.

• Build a strategic dialogue with HEI validating bodies such as UoS in terms of

budget allocations and the flexibility to respond to energy sector needs

• Define learning delivery sites and methods- maximising the role industry can play

in sponsoring and informing engineering provision - both areas of pressing skills

gaps, but also areas of opportunities to develop new skills sets.;

• Capture and quantify demand patterns over time;

• Understand how school and FE engagement can stimulate learner demand into

engineering route ways.

Leadership: EEEGR have already played a key role in brokering the engagement

between UEA and industry for HE engineering and should be consulted on how they could

provide further facilitation through the Skills for Energy programme- to stimulate better

technical engineering supply. ECITB are entering into an ongoing programme nationally

of enhanced labour market analysis and more detailed surveying of workforce

¹⁴ ECITB- Engineering Today (2017)

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development patterns with their contractors. Consultation with ECITB has highlighted the

opportunity to align this new data feed, which they expect to regionalise, with a New

Anglia engineering focus. Clearly the industry needs to work with Colleges and

Universities to develop new models of course provision which are responsive and flexible

to industry needs and which attract non-traditional entrants- recognising the age and

gender imbalance already prevalent for the sector.

When: the development of technical engineering provision and skills supply is an ongoing

process however the key steps can be made time bound in establishing a more detailed

plan, mapping and defining needs and performing feasibility assessment with the

education and training stakeholders. To this end a two-stage process can be identified:

• Stage One- establish facilitation roles, broker industry involvement and skill

stakeholder engagement- by end of 2018.

• Stage Two- define and develop course content meeting technical demands- from

2019 onward.

Resources and support: Consultation with EEEGR or an identified key partner/

facilitating lead to assess resource needs should be performed. ECITB should also be

further consulted to identify the support role they could play on behalf of the engineering

construction industry.

Ultimately, the process will need to be robust enough to stimulate college and university

investment in new course content, which focuses on technical training content. The

support of the Energy Skills Partnership and its proposed role of targeting funding

investment based on areas of specialism will also help maximise the potential of additional

funding from government and private investors.

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Intervention 3- Build local pilot models of ‘Intra-industry’ and ‘Inter-sector’

Workforce Skills Transferability (through influencing national stakeholders and

local collaboration, and innovation)

Rationale: Understanding the mobility of skills-, and how that knowledge can be applied

to the phasing of projects, will be essential in supporting the industry and strengthening

those skills currently regarded as fragile.

The feedback from employers highlighted two levels of planning- one involving

assessment of project lifecycles and workforce planning between industries within the

sector and a further dimension understanding the dynamics between the sector overall

and its inter-relations with New Anglia’s other priority sectors- specifically construction and

advanced manufacturing.

Although there was a strong view that increased planning based upon forecasts was

needed, there was also a recognition that such forecasting is challenging and potentially

unreliable.

Action to be Taken: A cross-industry and cross-sector planning framework shaped from

Tier 1 led investment programmes, that can be made widely available to the supply chain,

skills providers and recruitment sector, can build a more proactive service offer that

anticipates peak demand and the relationship between downturn and growth areas. A

working group linked to the revised energy partnership structure (See Intervention 1) can

act as a focal point to capture and aggregate workforce planning profiles and define

generic/niche skills requirements.

The New Anglia FE College Group is already adapting its activity jointly to provide an

increasing multi-sited and modular offer, and this can be used as a platform to target skills

needs that are required beyond generic skills sets.

CITB should be invited to take a key role in steering the crosscutting priorities between

construction and the Energy sector, given their involvement in the New Anglia

Construction Skills Plan and their national activity linked to the Construction Training

• Consult and influence a range of national stakeholders about the economic (and

community) benefits of ‘intra-energy’ sector transferability. These could include

bodies such as OPITO, Renewables UK, the Wind Industry Council, Nuclear

Industry Council and also Tier One employers with local developments pending.

• Baseline current and forecast workforce demands based on current operational

activity and planned infrastructure investment;

• Analyse skills sets by functional job roles and aggregate energy generic, energy

industry specific and inter-sector skills needs;

• Consult with CITB on construction-energy workforce transferability, referring to

previous CITB examples;

• Share intelligence with the FE College Group and disseminate across known

supply chain/make public- at key planning points that works with the academic

planning and development timetable;

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• Develop generic skills route ways, maximising the accessibility and ‘joining-up’ of

course provision across colleges (working with ESFA to agree allocation

frameworks);

• Identify barriers preventing effective pass porting of skills sets and labour supply

(for example H&S accreditation) and design effective solutions.

Leadership: CITB and ECITB, Tier 1 developers, OEM and Tier 2 employers involving

large supply chain activity, LEP/Skills Board, FE College Group, ESFA, NSA Nuclear.

When: This should be established as a process to support a cooperative plan and

response discipline. A target date for the initial skills planning framework should be

established, with a suggested date being September 2018 and refreshed on an annular

basis.

Resources and support: The intervention requires a joint commitment from Tier 1 and

key OEM employers within the sector working alongside the key training provider group,

with support from the ESFA and industry training boards, sector representative bodies-

that can map national data and planning metrics to a New Anglia level.

The output should be ‘open source’ to stimulate a fair and open competitive response from

the wider training and recruitment markets.

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Intervention 4- Addressing Overall ‘Energy Skills Fragility’

Rationale: applying NSA Nuclear/Cogent’s model for defining ‘skills fragility’ and

recognising the generic nature of demand across the sector, allows a suite of key skills

sets to be defined.

Accordingly, to drive responsiveness in the skills system- the skills community should plan

and communicate joint solutions for addressing skills weaknesses, demonstrating how

both course content and outcome meets need and developing the accessibility of training

for employers and learners across New Anglia via a multi-site offer.

Skills investment planning should be prioritised according to shortfalls and gaps linked to

key roles within industry. Within the Nuclear Workforce Assessment report (2017) areas

of ‘skills fragility’ are defined, that highlight where demand outstrips supply across higher

technical, technical, entry level and generic roles. The result is a key list of roles (by

resource code/function/specialism) of high-risk areas. Performing a broader analysis

through consultation across industries within the sector and with manufacturing and

construction stakeholders, would ascertain a sector wide Skills Fragility statement. The

Opportunities and Challenges section of this plan captures evidence across a range of key

known gaps and demands, which should form an initial baseline of assessment- these

involve both technical and non-technical roles, including:

• site fabrication engineers,

• instrument engineers,

• operational and maintenance engineering,

• turbine installation and O&M,

• decommissioning key engineering and project management functions,

• operational and project management,

• commercial and financial planning.

Cross-sector feedback with employers in the engineering fabrication industry showed a

lack of labour supply into engineering craft roles- pipe cutting, angling, drawing and a lack

of local training provision to produce a skilled labour supply. This in turn was increasing

their reliance on EU labour - something potentially implicated by Brexit.

Action to be Taken:

Risk assessment can be performed on short/medium and long-term trajectories and the

output can be used to inform careers planning, course design and development and

industry led activity to stimulate further skills investment.

• Consult with Cogent Skills/NSA Nuclear on risk assessment methodology;

• Plan sector wide consultation on skills fragility over defined forecasting periods;

• Capture high risk functions and consult with industry to map skills gaps linked to

functional roles;

• Use the Energy Skills Partnership to facilitate a joined-up response to high risk

needs- brokering a response between the sector and the education and training

community.

Leadership: Tier 1 and key employers working with Tier 1/OEM suppliers, sector

representative bodies- ECITB, NSA Nuclear/Cogent, CITB, LEP/Skills Board and the

Energy Skills Partnership.

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Intervention 5- Building Inclusive Local Capacity & Securing the Future Energy

Workforce

Rationale: there are a number of pressure points and key concerns identified linked to the

future supply of employees into the sector overall. Fundamentally, there was an oft-stated

view that the potential of the sector in terms of high-quality job opportunities and local

career paths is under the radar.

Key issues cover addressing the combined scale of replacement and growth demands,

addressing gender and age imbalances, stimulating private sector investment and whole

sector coordination in careers and enterprise engagement and creating a universal set of

social aims to maximise the positive impact the sector has for New Anglia and its areas of

key economic/social pressure.

The Tier 1 employers consulted expressed the importance of building the local capacity of

supply given the sharp upturn in workforce demand expected for the offshore and nuclear

new build programmes. Consideration was expressed around identifying local training

and employment targets to maximise the job opportunities for New Anglia residents, with

specific geographic targeting for areas of high deprivation.

Resources should be specifically targeted at areas of higher economic and social

deprivation- including Waveney, Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth.

Action to be Taken: An overarching recruitment target that represents the scale of

replacement and growth demand for the sector should be established to focus partnership

activity.

As a whole Energy sector, to provide coherent, consistent, targeted messages to young

people, local workers and influencers such as parents, teachers, employment advisers

about the opportunities, excitement, diversity and vibrancy of the Energy sector and the

range of high-quality opportunities and career pathways that are available. This

intervention comprises three key elements:

(i)Careers and enterprise- the approach will need to be comprehensive and co-ordinated

- working with the local Enterprise Development Coordinators that are aligned with the

LEP and the CEC, facilitating the ‘intermediary’ stakeholders engaged or keen to engage

with education to inform careers delivery and enterprise capability activities. Aligning with

Sector Deals and the national Careers Strategy, New Anglia should consider the further

development of the New Anglia Youth Pledge, which can support the Gatsby benchmark

model pushed through the national Careers strategy and define how the sector’s needs

are best embedded from KS3 upwards.

Careers awareness and work experience/internship programmes should be coordinated

through a central ‘Securing the Future Energy Workforce’ plan- working with

established providers, such as primary NCS delivery, Enterprise Advisors and the

icanbea...online platform. Employers have expressed willingness to engage and invest in

careers support initiatives and so should be secured within an overall partnership

approach.

(ii)STEM Engagement- A STEM engagement plan should work jointly with the STEM

ambassador programme and the Advanced Manufacturing Skills Plan- developing cross

links with engineering sector bodies and existing STEM enterprise initiatives. CITB

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already have an established Ambassadors programme nationally, which could be linked to

the STEM Ambassadors programme.

(iii)Establishing a Social Partnership Programme- Social outcomes should be defined

to fit with the overall recruitment and up skilling aims agreed by partners supporting the

delivery of the Energy Skills Plan and the social mobility aspirations of Ipswich and

Norwich Opportunity Areas. Targeted activity should also focus on addressing gender

and age imbalances. Furthermore, social inclusion programmes such as ESF, DWP and

Big Lottery funded activity, which are geographically targeted- should be supported to

review and adapt their ability to represent the needs of the energy sector, particularly with

work experience, volunteering and entry level employment. Connecting to the NEACO

project will enable the sector to have a greater influence on those from skills-deprived

areas considering higher education routes

Leadership: EEEGR should be consulted, along with other organisations regarding taking

forward the key role in coordinating the intervention overall- as it aims to build upon their

already successful activity within the Skills for Energy programme.

Consideration around resources to expand the approach for all of New Anglia and broader

partnership working would need to be made, with ideally a 3-5-year resource plan in place

to design, embed and manage the activity on a medium-term timeframe.

When: An annual action plan- ‘Securing the Future Energy Workforce’ should be

developed that details the priorities for the three key areas of: - careers and enterprise,

STEM engagement and establishing a social partnership programme to maximise social

outcomes.

Resources and support: resource needs for co-ordination are comparatively modest but

it is important that a central resource, guaranteed for 3-5 years initially is secured to help

co-ordinate careers delivery.

The majority of resources needed for delivery are already in place, through regional

programmes (e.g. icanbea, Enterprise Coordinators and the Enterprise Advisor Network)

and nationally (e.g. Careers Enterprise Company, EEF, tomorrowsengineers.org.uk run by

Engineering UK and Royal Academy of Engineering, access IET provision). In addition,

many businesses in the sector work with schools and FE/HE to promote the industry.

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Intervention 6- Apprenticeships and Group Training

Rationale: Apprenticeships are positioned centrally within the Industrial Strategy’s focus

on people and workforce development, with any localised industrial response, including

sector deal developments needing to be cognisant of investment in apprenticeships.

It was widely recognised by stakeholders and data analysis of apprenticeship

numbers that there is considerable scope to increase the proportion of the

workforce undertaking an Apprenticeship development pathway at all levels.

Given the implementation of the apprenticeship levy- there should be a more coordinated

approach to gather and deliver apprenticeships linked to employer needs. Apprenticeship

supply is largely channelled through cross-sector demands within construction and

manufacturing areas. Larger employers however are keen to stimulate greater

apprenticeship uptake from their supply chains as a way of demonstrating quality in their

own upstream service offer to Tier 1 clients. With the advent of the apprenticeship levy-

feedback highlighted that the timing is opportune to investigate the feasibility of a more

‘group training’ based model for SME engagement in apprenticeships, with ECITB cited as

a potential sponsor of a pooled model, which defines a generic set of technical skills that

can be universally offered across the area and then recognises areas of specialism

according to industry specific roles.

Feedback from employers- particularly Tier 2/suppliers operating as key resource

providers for installation, operations and maintenance roles within oil, gas and offshore

wind- expressed frustrations regarding the polarisation of existing apprenticeship

standards caused by diverging OEM and operator requirements. Rationalising standards

to enable the combination of key technical roles, particularly across engineering

apprenticeship provision would enable greater local investment in apprenticeship

provision. Larger employers are keen to stimulate greater investment in apprenticeship

provision in response to the levy and for those that are already paying a levy through the

construction and engineering construction contractor routes- there are significant

investment opportunities. Feedback however highlights an overall lack of investment in

apprenticeship provision, with employers citing concerns relating to the time and cost of

training, upturn and downturn patterns, fit between technical standards and real operating

environments and risk of ‘attrition’ through recruitment competition once qualified. A

group training solution would offer a shared, cooperative solution- allowing for the formal

creation of GTA legal entity- as a shared partnership between employers and training

providers. Success rates of training through GTAs generally exceed national averages

and they have proven to be sustainable models, securing employer ownership, for many

key sectors and areas across the UK.

Action to be Taken: An Apprenticeship Charter of Cooperation- could act as the

initial foundation for the development of a GTA for the Energy sector for New Anglia,

involving an initial period of partnership development and feasibility assessment before

the potential establishment of a legal GTA body. The key stages in this context would

include:

• Establish a campaign, in partnership with local / national skills providers to

promote Energy-sector based Apprenticeships to both local employers and

potential apprentices, with the option of target -setting for an increase in overall

numbers or targeted occupational roles.

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• Assessment of scope for establishing an apprenticeship charter- by industry or

overall sector;

• Consult with levy payers to identify opportunities for surplus levy investment into

apprenticeship development for local supply chain employers

• Identification and brokerage of the initial employer/provider partnership with the

aim of reducing and sharing the risk of developing new provision;

• Mapping existing apprenticeship standards to skills needs and identifying group

training options;

• Decision on commitment to application for GTA status in consultation with ESFA

focusing on timescales where a significantly increased demand for apprenticeships

is confidently forecast due to expansion or new major projects starting;

Leadership: Any consortium of training providers and employers are able to pursue the

development of a GTA model. In the context of the skills plan and key stakeholders

consulted- it would be recommended that the FE college group, CITB, ECITB, the ESFA,

alongside EEEGR/employers and the LEP perform the initial scoping to establish the

feasibility of a GTA model for the sector.

When: Initial assessment- brokerage and feasibility planning- should be performed

throughout 2018/19, with the intention of concluding the assessment by July 2019.

Resources and support: The intervention can be established as a sub-group of the

revised energy skills partnerships (See Intervention 1), with a shared commitment from

its key members to coordinate and deliver the identified brokerage and scoping activities.

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Appendix A- Energy Skills Plan Development Process

The development of the Energy Sector Skills Plan was overseen by a task and finish group,

which met several times between April and July 2017 and a further LEP/Key Stakeholder

group, which included key employers- that met between October 2017 and February 2018.

The final plan was presented to a key stakeholder group, which included industry

representation from the New Anglia Skills Board in February 2018. In addition to this sector

skills plan document, a supporting Datapack has been produced which outlines the current

workforce in the sector, trends in its skills levels and how the local Energy sector in New

Anglia compares with other areas. The Datapack also reports on the underlying socio-

economic context for the sector locally and reports on projected changes in future skills

needs and current student numbers.

To capture primary evidence through qualitative, semi-structured, interview methodology

with the employers and key stakeholders we established a series of key themes and lines of

enquiry. The key lines represented a framework to guide the consultation process however

the questions were not prescriptive and the semi-structured approach enabled further issues

to be detailed based on the responses from the consultees.

Key Themes & Lines of Enquiry

Five key themes were identified and agreed following the initial research- focusing on

existing policy, quantitative data analysis and previous sector intelligence that has been

captured and reported. The feedback from the key lines, along with the earlier

quantitative and desk-based research, shaped the evidence captured in

‘Opportunities in Challenges’ in the main report and the rationale for each strategic

intervention in the Delivery Plan.

Theme 1- Training Investment and the Jobs Market

What are the main areas of training that employers invest in within their business? Do they

expect their training needs to change over time- if so why and in what way?

Do employers have confidence in the current labour market? Are they able to find the

relevant skilled staff or are there gaps and barriers? Are they recruiting- if so to what roles

and what are their expected recruitment needs?

Theme 2- Training Delivery

Where do employers go for their training- what type of provider, provision/qualification and

where are they located? How do they rate the training they access and what can be done to

meet their needs better?

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Theme 3- Apprenticeships and Workforce Development

Do employers recruit apprentices? If so- in what standards/job roles and if not- why, are

there job roles that are not served by apprenticeship provision? Do employers anticipate

that the levy will stimulate further interest and investment in apprenticeships? What are their

views regarding the development of their existing staff workforce and apprenticeships?

How are you affected by the transferability of skills both in terms of recruiting to the energy

sector from other industries (O&G for example and the skills needed to transfer) but also

candidates diversifying into other industries and markets outside the area and the skills gaps

this would leave in the energy sector?

Theme 4- Recruiting New Entrants and Promoting Future Supply

Where do employers look for taking on new entrants? What level of experience must they

have and what is their view on recruiting young people- both non-graduates and graduates?

How can their industries be promoted to young people to encourage new supply and what

‘key employability skills’ should they have? Are employers interested in supporting the

coordination of enterprise and STEM engagement within schools, colleges and universities?

How do changes in technology (in terms of the types of equipment and processes

(drone/UAV, ALM, internet of things, etc)) impact on your workforce- size, training and future

recruitment needs?

What impact do you think Brexit is likely to have on your workforce and plans for

recruitment?

Theme 5- Taking Forward an Energy Skills Plan for New Anglia

What are the top overall priorities that a ‘Skills Plan’ for Energy should capture and what role

would they wish to have in supporting the plan’s forward delivery?

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List of Consultees

A series of key interviews were conducted with a mix of employers, sector skills providers

and representative bodies. In total over 40 consultees were interviewed in depth and/or

attended the meetings held or provided other direct input (presentations at events, referrals,

links to reports etc). These consultees included:

Gary Jefferson, West Suffolk College

Nikos Savvas, West Suffolk College

Ferlin Quantrill, East Coast College

Steve Rose, SSE

Matt Knights, ECITB

James Costello, MAERSK Training

Graham Hacon, 3Sun

Windcats- SNS Conference

Siemens- SNS Conference

10. Simon Gray, EEEGR

11. Gemma Head, EEEGR

12. Johnathan Reynolds, Nautilus Consulting

13. Celia Anderson, Statoil

14. Sue Falch-Lovesey, Vattenfall

15. Victoria Sinclair, ScottishPower Renewables

16. Guy Hazelhurst, EDF Energy

17. Dug Harrison, NSA Nuclear

18. Jan Feeney, Norfolk County Council

19. Natasha Waller, Skills Board

20. Michael Gray, Suffolk County Council

21. Paul Warmington, Energy Development Coordinator

22. Mark Goodall, Aker Solutions

23. Nick Ford, Fraser Well Management

24. Andy Beasley, Flow Energy Group

25. Stuart Smith, People for Energy

26. Yvonne Mason, icanbea...

27. Reuben Overmark, ECITB

28. Hayley Coe, CITB

29. Martyn Johnson, ECITB

30. Andy Whilding, UEA

31. Maddie Coupe, NALEP

32. Alex Frost, NALEP

33. Kerry Dunham, Norfolk County Council

34. Dayle Bayliss, Consultant

35. Sarah Mower, Flow Energy

36. Colin Ross, survey respondent

37. Paul Collins, Fraser Well Management

38. Dhian Ubhi, survey respondent

39. Graham Newman, Pruce Newman

40. Cheryl Willis- East Suffolk Councils

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Appendix B- Energy Evidence Report (Datapack Summary)

Key Findings from the Data Analysis (please refer to the Datapack):

Both GVA and employment have grown since 2010 but at a much slower rate than

the averages for the New Anglia economy. This trend over a five-year period also

masks large drops in employment and GVA between 2014 and 2015.

In total, 500 learning aims related to the Energy sector were delivered to New Anglia

residents in 2012/13. This formed 0.2 per cent of all known learning aims delivered in

New Anglia, compared to 0.3 per cent nationally.

Since 2010/11, there has been a 46 per cent decrease in the number of Energy

learning aims delivered to New Anglia residents. Nationally, learning aims for the

sector decreased by 12 per cent.

The sector is projected to grow in employment terms between 2014 and 2024 by

around 16 per cent (approximately 1,200 jobs).

In addition, replacement demand is expected to be somewhere in the region of 3,000

jobs. This places a net requirement for jobs requiring to be filled in the sector at over

4,000.

New jobs creation (expansion demand) will be primarily in roles requiring degree

level skills and higher (Level 4 and above) with job losses in lower skilled roles. This

trend can be seen in changes in qualifications in the sector between 2001 and 2011.

In terms of Gross Value Added (GVA) - in 2015 the sector was worth approximately £941m,

which equates to 2.6 per cent of the total New Anglia economy. This is an increase of £61m

on 2010 (seven per cent), much less than growth across the whole economy (17 per cent),

and also masks a drop in GVA between 2014 and 2015 of over £300m.

In total, the sector currently employs 7,800 people (please note the specified sector

scope and definition omits broader supply-chain markets particularly across

construction and engineering areas which are pertinent to key elements of the Energy

Sector), which is approximately one per cent of the workforce. Employment numbers in

2015 are nearly 300 more than they were in 2010 (an increase of four per cent). Over the

same period employment across New Anglia grew by seven per cent. Again, between 2014

and 2015 employment in the sector also fell, by around 1,100.

The largest sub-sector in employment terms is that of ‘Electricity generation, storage and

transmission (incl. fuels, nuclear, offshore, biomass etc.)’ with 2,600. This is followed by

‘Trade, wholesale, and retail of energy and fuels’ with 1,300.

Overall the Energy sector is much more geared towards full-time employment, with 83 per

cent of employment in the sector is full-time compared to 57 per cent across the whole

economy.

In terms of enterprise numbers, as of 2016 there were 400 Energy enterprises operating in

the New Anglia area, or 0.7 per cent of all enterprises. Since 2010 the number of Energy

enterprises has increased by 90, or 28 per cent, much higher than the total New Anglia rate

of growth (nine per cent) though these increases are from a low base.

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In terms of Low Carbon Renewable Energy (LCRE) the following chart shows how the

amounts of employees, turnover, and businesses, are split over the six LCRE groups, and is

a reasonable proxy for the splits we could expect at the local level.

National proportions of employees, turnover and businesses by Low Carbon and

Renewable Energy Group, 2014

Employees (full-time equivalents)

Turnover (£ thousands)

Number of businesses

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Low carbon electricity

Low carbon heat

Energy from waste & biomass

Energy efficient products

Low carbon services

Low emission vehicles etc.

The next chart shows how LCRE economy employees, turnover, and businesses, are split

over the broad industrial groups, and is again a reasonable proxy for the splits we could

expect at the local level.

Low Carbon and Renewable Energy industrial activity, 2014

Employees (full-time

equivalents)

Turnover (£ thousands)

Number of businesses

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Manufacturing

Electricity, gas andsteam

Watersupply

Construction

Wholesale and retail trade

Transportation and storage

Information and communication

Real estate activities

Professional, scientific, technical activities

Other

Other includes Agriculture, forestry and fishing; Mining and quarrying; Accommodation and

food service activities; Administrative and support service activities; Public administration

and defence; compulsory social security; Education; and Other activities.

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The very recent production of these estimates provided by the LCRE Economy Survey

means that we are unable to produce any long term or meaningful trend data for

employment, business numbers, and value created in the sector but if further surveys are

carried out by the Office for National Statistics and the results published then we will be able

to update this analysis. In the meantime, we can look to refer to extracts from the Renewable

Energy Planning Database¹⁵ (REPD) and compare the earliest version of it (October 2014)

with later versions in order to gauge the number of LCRE projects either waiting or under

construction, or in operation.

National trends on the use of renewable energy sources as a measure of growth within the

sector nationally can also give us an indication of the sectors growth. The 2016 Digest of UK

Energy Statistics¹⁶ tells us that the percentage of energy coming from renewable and waste

sources (such as wind, hydro power and biomass) has risen from 1 per cent of total UK

energy consumption in 1998 to 9 per cent in 2015. This is against a backdrop of a 17 per

cent fall in the amount of energy used by the UK between 1998 and 2015. This may be

explained by:

the increased use of energy-efficient technologies by households and firms

government policies designed to reduce energy consumption

a decline of UK manufacturing, especially in energy-intensive industries

Energy Sector Skills Supply and Demand

It is worth noting that much like the overall population in New Anglia, the Energy workforce in

New Anglia is becoming higher skilled as analysis of 2001 and 2011 Census data shows

below (using the sector definition of ‘Mining and quarrying, manufacturing, and electricity,

gas and water supply’). In terms of this shift in qualifications, New Anglia has just

outperformed regional and national averages for the sector.

2011

16%

18%

17%

14%

18%

17%

2001

26%

25%

20%

12%

10%

2011

14%

17%

16%

13%

24%

15%

2001

23%

24%

20%

17%

2011

15%

17%

16%

13%

24%

15%

2001

24%

23%

20%

18%

100%

No qualifications

Level 1 qualifications

Level 2 qualifications

Level 3 qualifications

Level 4 qualifications and above

Apprenticeships and other qualifications

¹⁵ Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)

¹⁶ Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)

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The following analysis is based on data sourced from the Department for Education’s

Further Education data library. The Sector Lead Bodies identified as being the most relevant

to the Energy Sector are: Chemicals, Life sciences, Pharmaceuticals, Nuclear, Oil, Gas,

Petroleum, Polymer; Energy & Utility; and Engineering Construction Industry.

In total, 500 learning aims related to the Energy sector were delivered to New Anglia

residents in 2012/13. This formed 0.6 per cent of all known learning aims delivered in New

Anglia, compared to 0.8 per cent nationally. If we consider all learning aims delivered (i.e.

including those classed as ‘unknown’ then these figures fall to 0.2 and 0.3 per cent

respectively).

Compared to 2010/11, when the number of learning aims delivered to New Anglia residents

was 920, then numbers are down across all sector lead body elements of the Energy sector

apart from ‘Engineering Construction Industry’ where learning aims increased from 70 to

100. Overall, this results in there having been a 46 per cent decrease in the number of

Energy learning aims delivered to New Anglia residents over the period in question.

Nationally, and over the same period, learning aims for the sector decreased by 12 per cent.

The vast majority of these learning aims (330 or 66 per cent) achieved by New Anglia

residents were delivered by external providers. The average for New Anglia for external

provision is 25 per cent.

Provision of Energy sector learning aims by New Anglia providers to New Anglia residents

has decreased over the time period in question, from 340 down to 170. The decline has

been driven by the element of ‘Energy & Utility’, decreasing from 210 learning aims delivered

to 30, a drop of 86 per cent.

In terms of apprenticeships- in 2014/15 there were 30 starts in apprenticeship frameworks in

New Anglia covering ‘Engineering Construction’ (10), ‘Sustainable Resource Management’

(5), ‘The Gas Industry’ (5), ‘The Power Industry’ (5), and ‘The Water Industry’ (5). This

number has remained largely unchanged since 2011/12.

Data on apprenticeship participation by sector provides a slightly different perspective with

the Energy sector (consisting of ‘Mining and Quarrying’, ‘Electricity, gas, steam, and air

conditioning supply’, and ‘Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation

activities’) accounting for 0.4 per cent (100) of all apprenticeship participation in 2014/15,

which is lower than the level of employment it provides (one per cent). Nationally,

apprenticeship participation in the sector accounted for 0.9 per cent of all apprenticeships.

Consultation with SSE highlighted their engagement with the Engineering Maintenance

apprenticeship provision (RQF 3) through East Coast College (to provide Performing

Engineering Operations (PEO) technical capability), with an uptake of around 6 apprentices

per year.

Analysis of LEP level results for the Energy sector from the UKCES Employer Skills Survey

2015 due to the small number of responses at this level and subsequent suppression of

results on the basis of accuracy.

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The following makes use of data and findings available via the online toolkit

http://wheretheworkis.org/. The findings presented are a result of combining data from the

UKCES ‘Working Futures’ programme and job vacancy data from the Labour Market Insight

tool developed by Burning Glass.

In this instance, the closest occupation relevant to the Energy sector is that of ‘Science,

Engineering and Production Technicians’. Please note that this occupation was also

included in analysis for the Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering sector.

Advertised salaries for the role in New Anglia were generally lower than those advertised

regionally and nationally. In the case of nationally, then £9, 00 less per year.

Of the 730 roles advertised in New Anglia during 2015 then the majority were geared

towards FE level skills (45 per cent). However, HE level roles also featured strongly at 31

per cent and there were also opportunities for school leavers with 24 per cent.

A Future View of the Energy Sector

Looking ahead and using information from both the East of England Forecasting Model, and

the UKCES Working Futures model, then the sector is projected to increase in employment

terms between 2014 and 2024 by around 16 per cent (approximately 1,200 jobs). These new

jobs will primarily be in positions requiring Level 4 to 6 (HE to First degree level) skills /

qualifications and above though some will be at Level 2.

Over the same period, approximately 3,000 existing jobs will need replacing as people leave

the sector workforce. Much of this replacement demand is centred on Level 3 (A level and

equivalent) roles and higher though there is a sizable element of replacement demand

across all roles. In total, projected expansion and replacement demand places a net

requirement for jobs requiring to be filled in the sector at over 4,000.

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Appendix C- Current Skills and Training Provision

The current skills offer for the sector is broadly distributed across the engineering,

manufacturing and construction fields. Apprenticeships that contribute towards a career

pathway within the sector also predominantly fall within existing frameworks aligned to these

broader programme areas. EEEGR lists one specific ‘energy industry’ apprenticeship

programme within its Education Pathway prospectus (Skills for Energy, EEEGR, 2017):

• ECITB accredited Level 3 in Engineering and Construction (up to 4 years)- delivered

through East Coast College;

In addition, EEEGR and ECITB promote access to a 4-year Oil and Gas Technical

Apprentice Programme (OGTAP) delivered initially out of area via accredited OPITO

training. EDF Energy also offers an Engineering Maintenance Apprenticeship Scheme Level

3 over a four-year duration.

There is a relatively small but important overtly ‘energy’ specific cluster of provision at FE

and HE levels on offer across New Anglia, captured below.

Course

Availability

Details

Level 2 Energy Skills

East Coast

A foundation programme linked to some of

Foundation Project

College

the core disciplines within the sector, which

has been endorsed by EEEGR, involving-

welding, mechanical engineering and

engineering construction activities. The year

long course includes site visits and features

strong employer support;

Level 3 Energy

East Coast

A 1-year full time progression from the Level 2

College

foundation course with more detailed energy

related training across the engineering and

construction areas;

Advanced Petroleum

East Coast

A 5-day course focusing on oil tanker

(Oil) Tanker Training

College

operations and environmental/health hazards-

leading to an MCA approved certificate;

Tanker Familiarisation

East Coast

A 3-day course focusing on the hazards in

(Oil/Gas)

College

petroleum, chemical and liquid gas

transportation;

Offshore First Aid +

East Coast

A 4-day course that complies with the

refresher (HSE

College

Offshore Installations and Pipeline Works

Approved)

(First Aid) regulations 1989;

Offshore Installation

East Coast

a 5-day emergency planning training course

Manager Controlling

College

assessed against pre-agreed OPITO

Emergencies

endorsements;

Offshore Wind Farm

East Coast

A 1-day course for marine coordinators,

Navigational Awareness

College

technicians, control room personnel and

offshore wind managers to improve their

knowledge and awareness of the conditions

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Course

Availability

Details

that crew transfer vessels and work vessels

encounter when working within offshore wind

farms;

Offshore Wind

East Coast

Short duration bespoke training based on

Emergency

College

client needs;

Management and

Emergency Response

Offshore and Oil/Gas

East Coast

Assessor Training

College

BEng Energy

University East

An Energy Institute accredited 3-year full time

Engineering with

Anglia

course developed in partnership with EEEGR

Environmental

that builds on a common first year ‘foundation’

Management

stage with pathways covering energy,

mechanical, electronic and electrical (plus a

mixed approach);

BEng Energy

University East

An Energy Institute accredited 3-year full time

Engineering

Anglia

course developed in partnership with EEEGR

that focuses on core engineering, maths and

principles with later specialisms for nuclear,

bio energy, environmental awareness;

MEng Energy

University East

An Energy Institute accredited 4-year full time

Engineering

Anglia

course developed in partnership with EEEGR

that focuses on core engineering, maths and

principles with later specialisms for nuclear,

bio energy, environmental awareness;

MSc Energy

University East

A 1 year post graduate course combines

Engineering with

Anglia

investment in engineering with existing and

Environmental

substantial expertise across the Faculty of

Management

Science in the fields of applied mathematics,

energy resources, environmental

management and electronic engineering.

Beyond the energy specific courses on offer is a broad training pathway, mainly across FE

and heavily oriented towards electrical, maintenance and manufacture engineering, an

aggregated ‘cross-section’ of the training offer is captured below, which includes the related

apprenticeship frameworks.

Discipline

Programme Overview

Availability

Typical Awards

Engineering

Basic Engineering Skills

East Coast

Apprenticeship

Maintenance and

College

Level 2-3

Installation

West Suffolk

Level 1-3

Electrical

College

Level 3 Extended

Technicians (inc

City College

Diploma

operations and

Norwich

Foundation Degree

maintenance)

College of West

HND

Extended Engineering

Anglia

HNC

Degree+

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Discipline

Programme Overview

Availability

Typical Awards

Installation and

Suffolk New

Commissioning

College

Technical Development

University of

Operations Engineering

Suffolk

Civil Engineering

Engineering

Welding and Fabrication

East Coast

Apprenticeship

Manufacture

Skills

College

Level 2-3

Manufacture Engineering

West Suffolk

Level 1-3

Mechanical Manufacturing

College

Level 3 Extended

Performing Engineering

City College

Diploma

Operations- Welding,

Norwich

Manufacturing, Machining

Suffolk New

College

Norfolk Training

Services

Electrical

Installing Electro technical

West Suffolk

Level 1-3

Systems

College

Level 3 Extended

Electrical Installation

College of West

Diploma

Anglia

General

Bridge to Technology

College of West

NPTC Certificate

Anglia

It is also worth noting that the above lists mainly capture the RQF accredited and FE short

course delivered provision however there are a number of organisations operating within the

sector that delivery technical training stationed within region or able to train peripatetically

outside of region:

•

3sun- through their purpose-built site at Great Yarmouth they offer both bespoke and

off the shelf training solutions primarily aimed at the oil, gas and offshore wind

industries. This includes- health and safety, working at height, hose management,

hydraulic awareness, small bore tubing and forklift training.

• Petans- based in Norfolk offer training linked to maritime, helideck training, GWO

initial and refresher Basic Safety Training, confined spaces training and first aid.

• C-Wind- specialise in the offshore wind industry, with a focus on health and safety,

rescue training and equipment advice.

• HETAS- biomass installer training (located in Sudbury, Suffolk).

Energy Sector Skills Plan v004.2