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Armed forces resettlement training, retraining courses and recruitment / jobs for ex military personnel. The Royal Navy, Army and RAF
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Britain’s utilities sector encompasses:
Much employment is contracted out by the major organisations to a number of smaller companies, which in turn subcontract the work to local firms. It is, therefore, available locally and is not advertised nationally. Increasingly, utilities companies are merging or being acquired so that an organisation supplies more than one utility, or the utility is combined with other operations. Some are foreign-owned. Research carried out by Energy & Utility Skills (EU Skills), the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for the gas, power, waste management and water industries, indicates that the sector employs over 560,000 people in more than 60,000 businesses in the UK.
Gas The gas industry is divided into two main subsectors. Gas transmission and distribution covers all activities to do with the journey that gas makes from the point of origin, through the National Transmission System (NTS) pipeline and into local gas distribution networks (GDN). Gas utilisation includes the installation and maintenance of gas-fired appliances in homes, commercial and industrial premises by gas fitters/installers, called Gas Safe registered engineers. Gas is delivered from the gas producers on to the mainland at reception points, which are sometimes known as beach terminals. The gas is transported at a very high pressure from the terminals to local distribution centres. National Grid’s System Control Centre manages the flow of gas from beach to end consumer. It uses telemetered data from all the operational sites to monitor the system. The National Control Centre operates and balances the high-pressure NTS, while the Area Control Centre is responsible for the next level down in the gas supply network: it ensures that sufficient supply is available at the right place and the right time to meet consumer demand. High-pressure gas is supplied to around 40 power stations and some large industrial companies. The downstream sub-sector contains many self-employed people, and very small companies providing installation and maintenance services to industrial, commercial and domestic customers. Engineers also respond to reported gas escapes, fumes gassing, metering faults and reports of no gas. Many gas service engineers progress quickly in the industry and go on to become supervisors and managers, and many individuals remain in the industry for their whole career, although they may move around different employers. All companies and their employees must be registered on the Gas Safe Register, which has replaced the old CORGI Register, to operate legally. Everyone on the Register is required to demonstrate ongoing competence in matters of gas safety, every five years. Power Power generation, transmission, distribution, metering and supply involve approximately 950 electricity business units functioning across the UK. The vast majority of these businesses are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), but most of the employees in the industry are employed by the 50 large organisations. The key areas within the electricity industry include generation, transmission, distribution and supply. Electricity is generated in gas, oil, coal-fired, nuclear or hydro-electric power stations or wind farms, and an increasing range of renewable energy sources (see the separate section below). There are more than 2,000 generating stations in the UK. Generated electricity flows on to the national transmission system at a high voltage via a network of transmission overhead lines, supported by steel pylons and underground high-voltage cables. There are more than 340 transmission substations within the system, at 230 locations. The distribution network is made up of overhead lines and underground cables, which bring electricity from the transmission network, via substations, to homes, factories and businesses. The supply area of the industry involves the companies that are responsible for metering the supply of electricity and selling it to the consumer.
Renewable energy In ten years’ time – in the UK alone – we’ll be able to generate only a fraction of the power that we need, so it is essential that we find new ways to create affordable, low-carbon power. That’s where so-called ‘renewables’ come in. The concept of renewable energy covers a wide range of very different types of fuel: solar, wind, tidal, hydro and geothermal. In the UK, wind, hydro and biomass dominate. Wind turbines and wind farms, both onshore and offshore, are the most recognisable form of renewable energy in the UK, and a major contributor to our energy needs, while hydro-electricity remains the most important renewable technology in output terms. Biofuels is a broad term that includes the combustion of biomass and wastes, gas from landfill sites and digestion processes. The co-firing of biomass with fossil fuels in conventional stations is a major source of renewable energy. With such a diverse range of renewables technologies, it’s not surprising that a wide range of skills are required. Those you will need will also depend on whether you want to work in development, manufacturing and construction, operations, or in specialist work. Technical and engineering skills are obviously in demand by manufacturers and installation/maintenance contractors. And, as the specific technologies develop, they will give rise to demand for other specialist skills – offshore wind, wave and tidal projects will need those able to master marine offshore technology challenges, for example, while the growth of biofuels will create demand for those with professional agricultural, environmental and planning qualifications. And, as the industry evolves, general management skills will be increasingly valued. Renewable energy is destined to become one of the fastest-growing sectors of the economy over the coming years, needing to attract an array of talented people – maybe as many as 50,000 over the next 15 to 20 years. It offers a wide range of rewarding careers – particularly for those who are looking for a career change and want to do something challenging and worthwhile. Waste management Waste management involves collection, re-use, recycling, recovery, treatment and final management. These areas directly employ 141,000 people in around 3,500 companies. Most companies operate regionally due to the high cost of transporting waste. We produce and use 20 times more plastic today than we did 50 years ago. Waste is anything that is no longer wanted or required by someone. The entire population of the UK are waste producers. In addition, waste is produced by industrial, commercial and agricultural organisations. Waste is collected in a number of ways, including:
Waste is usually transported by road, although some is transported by rail and via the canal network. Recyclables may be stored prior to processing. Waste management priorities are:
Water The water industry includes its catchment, storage, processing, transmission, distribution, metering and supply, as well as the sewerage collection, transmission, treatment and disposal of waste water. The industry has 166,000 employees, and an ongoing programme of construction, operation and maintenance of the water and waste water infrastructure. The daily supply of drinking water is constantly maintained to ensure the water we drink is clean and safe. It is not only the clean water that is important, it is the dirty water too – the industry makes sure that there is a sustainable process for the disposal of waste water. Waste water (sewage) leaves homes and businesses and is carried by pipes (the sewerage system) to sewage treatment works, where harmful substances are removed from the dirty water. Purified water is pumped from the water treatment works, through the water mains, to houses and industries. The water companies take water from rivers, boreholes and springs, and collect it in man-made reservoirs. They then treat it and distribute it to homes and businesses via an underground network of pipes. Some of the water companies only supply water, which means that they are responsible for supply, treatment and distribution. Others also supply waste water services, so are responsible for sewerage services, and are involved with international operations, environmental consultancy and the design of new systems and plant. In addition to the main water companies, the industry uses contractors to carry out many activities including maintenance and renewal of the whole of the water supply system. The water industry provides 20,000 million litres of water every day to 58 million people. Many of the jobs in the water industry are highly skilled and are in great demand in an array of engineering, science and technology-based industries. Employment opportunities exist to ensure there is continuous supply of clean drinking water to our homes and businesses, and a sustainable network for the disposal of waste water. The water industry needs a vast range of people – from service pipe layers to scientists. The utilities and skills gained in the Services There is little direct relationship between the utilities and the Armed Forces. Nevertheless, many of the skills required and valued by employers are taught and practised by a number of people in the Services. Generalist skills, such as supervisory management, project management and administration, are wanted, as are all manner of specialists. There are resettlement training courses available in some disciplines that are useful in the utilities sector. If possible, talk with people who are already working in the area to establish a reasonable starting point based on their skills and experience, and then look for the right courses and training. TRANSLATE YOUR SKILLS Some specific Service skills or trades that are likely to prove useful in the various utilities industries include:
SKILLS SHORTAGES Employers are committed to safeguarding the environment for future generations and providing a high standard of service. Taking into account the ageing workforce, infrastructure, expansion plans and the introduction of new technologies, it is now more important than ever for employers to focus on upskilling their workforce to keep Britain running. According to EU Skills, over the next ten years, the energy and utilities sector needs to recruit more than 14,000 people to replace those who are retiring or leaving organisations for new opportunities. Demand is high for skilled engineers and technicians, scientists, operatives and customer care staff with flexibility and adaptability across all occupations. Training and development There is a high level of skills required in health and safety and engineering work in the energy and utilities industries that can be transferred to other industries. There are a variety of nationally recognised multi-utility qualifications that allow an individual to be qualified in a number of areas in the industry and minimise duplication of qualifications. These qualifications allow for easier migration of skilled individuals from business to business, particularly for contracting companies. Energy & Utility Skills Limited has developed a set of National and Scottish vocational qualifications (N/SVQs), full details of which can be found on its website (see ‘Key contacts’). The Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies Alliance (SEMTA) is the Sector Skills Council for the engineering field. It has a series of NVQs at levels 2 and 3, as well as additional qualifications in other disciplines. For electrical engineering, the basic requirement is now the 17th Edition Wiring Regulations, which show that the individual knows the necessary regulations and how to use them. An exam can be taken at the end of a one-week course, which leads to the award of the level 3 City & Guilds 2381 qualification (good electrical knowledge is required). Anyone working on gas appliances or fittings as a business must be competent and registered with the Gas Safe Register. Those with experience in the gas industry or related fields may be able to follow the Nationally Accredited Certification Scheme (ACS) route to registration. This will allow them to gain certificates of competence that are accepted by the Gas Safe Register. People with no industry experience may need to follow a more formal qualification: Scottish/National Vocational Qualification (S/NVQ) in Gas Installation and Maintenance at level 2 or 3. Anyone formerly registered with CORGI, whose qualifications are more than five years old, is not currently able to register with the Gas Safe Register. They will need to retrain in the areas of gas work they intend to carry out, before registration. KEY CONTACTS Energy & Utility Skills Limited, Friars Gate, 1011 Stratford Road, Shirley, Solihull B90 4BN Tel: 0845 077 9933 Website: www.euskills.co.uk Twitter: @EUSkills Gas Safe Register, PO Box 6804, Basingstoke RG24 4NB Tel: 0800 408 5577 Website: https://engineers.gassaferegister.co.uk Twitter: @GasSafeRegister Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies Alliance, 14 Upton Road, Watford, Herts WD18 0JT Tel: 01923 238441 Website: www.semta.org.uk
 
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