July 19, 2016 − New Prime Minister Theresa May must combat the looming skills crisis by prioritizing the introduction of new initiatives to attract workers into the utilities sector, urges Develop Training Limited (DTL), the UK’s leading training specialist in the utilities sector.
“The skills shortage in the UK is a catastrophe waiting to happen, one that literally threatens to turn out Britain’s lights,” said Chris Wood, CEO of DTL. “A solution to the twin problems of a chronic skills shortage in our utilities industry and high youth unemployment is obvious – train young people to take the places of the ageing workforce, but it just isn’t happening at anything like the rate that it needs to be. The new PM and her Cabinet must make it a government priority to look into ways to correct this issue as a matter of extreme urgency.”
“As householders and businesses in the UK wonder about a post-Brexit future, they should remember that the utilities sector is still facing a potentially devastating skills shortage. The sector is constantly on a recruitment drive but is simply not receiving the response it requires. We all need confidence that our lights will stay on, our heating will continue to keep our houses warm and our taps keep providing running water, but the day is fast approaching when there will simply not be enough workers to do these vital jobs,” added Wood.
About Develop Training
Develop Training Limited (DTL) is the UK’s leading accredited provider of compliance, technical, and safety training, supporting thousands of firms with their training needs. Clients include some of the UK’s largest and best-known organizations from the utilities and construction to the defence, health care, facilities management and telecommunications sectors.
Training programmes cover water and environmental, gas and energy, safety, electrical and mechanical, apprenticeships and management development delivered at DTL’s seven dedicated training centres in Linlithgow near Edinburgh, Romford, Croydon, York, Derby, Bolton and Swindon or onsite at clients’ premises. DTL also provides bespoke and consultancy services, tailoring training programmes and initiatives to the requirements of individual clients.
