Energy & Utility Skills becomes a Supporter of The Tomorrow’s Engineers Code

The Code brings employers together to inspire a diverse engineering workforce. Energy & Utility Skills, EngineeringUK, and SSE have released a video to promote the benefits of signing up to The Code to industry employers

As the UK marks Tomorrow’s Engineers Week, Energy & Utility Skills is calling for its members to join The Code community. Energy & Utility Skills, EngineeringUK, and SSE have partnered in an online conversation about the theory behind The Code and the real-world benefits of becoming a Signatory.

Phil Beach CBE, Chief Executive of Energy & Utility Skills said:

“We believe it’s essential to work together to build the diverse future workforce the energy and utilities sector needs. Our Energy & Utilities Workforce Renewal and Skills Strategy 2020-2025 predicts 277,000 vacancies by 2029 in our sector. If we’re going to fill these vacancies – and play a significant role in delivering Government’s net zero targets – we need to inspire the next generation to a career within the energy and utilities sector.”

Dr Hilary Leevers, Chief Executive of EngineeringUK, which manages The Code, adds:

“No company or organisation can single-handedly address the skills challenge we face in engineering. The Code recognises this and provides a space for everyone involved in funding, designing or delivering engineering outreach for schools to work together to understand what works well and to drive up the quality and impact of those interactions with young people. In committing to that sharing and collaboration, members of The Code community are stepping up to the plate and driving the change we need to inspire the next generation and build an effective and diverse, representative future workforce.”

The Code is about working together to increase the diversity and number of young people entering engineering careers.   To achieve these goals, Signatories make four pledges about their approach to funding, designing, delivering, and learning from engineering-inspiration activities (including STEM programmes dedicated to inspiring young people into engineering):

• Inspiring connection – ensuring programmes contribute to a sustained and rich STEM journey for all young people.
• Driving inclusion – ensuring all young people have opportunities to engage in engineering-inspiration activities, so that no one is left behind.
• Showcasing engineering – promoting a positive, compelling, and authentic view of engineering and showcasing the breadth of opportunities.
• Improving impact – improving monitoring and evaluation of programmes and activities to develop a shared understanding of what works.

Any organisation with UK operations that funds, designs and/or delivers engineering outreach activities is invited to become a Signatory. It’s free to become a member of this community and if, like the Energy & Utility Skills, you support the mission but aren’t involved in engineering outreach, you can join as a Supporter.

Sam Greer, Education & Employability Manager at SSE said:

“At SSE our engineering outreach/education engagement programme aims to show how and what young people learn at school is used in real jobs in energy/utilities and to inspire a diverse future talent pipeline. We are a Code Signatory because the 4 pillars resonated with our core business needs and values, and as we developed our own STEM strategy it gave us the basis to work from.”