Industry hunts 5,000 to feed workforce growth

Water UK has heralded water company calls on school leavers and job seekers of all ages to take up more than 5,000 apprenticeships to help deliver a  £96bn investment plan for 2025-30.  The industry, according to Water UK, is seeking  to increase its workforce by 50% and create more than 30,000 "highly skilled jobs".

The move, announced as part of National Apprenticeship Week, would be “one of the biggest investment programmes in Europe” and will “help guarantee a stable supply of clean water, even as our climate changes, and cleaner rivers and seas.”

Projects announced during National Apprenticeship Week included:

• a plan to recruit more than 800 new apprentices by 2030, at Anglian Water and to create 7,000 jobs under a proposed £9bn programme of investment to 2030;

• Northumbrian Water advertising 30 apprenticeship roles to start in September ranging from Level 3 advanced apprenticeships to Level 6 degree apprenticeships, to add to 55 apprentices already within the business; and

• Pennon Group’s announcement of 52 new apprenticeship opportunities across the company’s businesses South West Water, Bristol Water and Bournemouth Water.