Is the UK water sector fishing in the right pool?

The engineering skill shortage in the UK is a widely debated topic and there are many reasons for this; lack of STEM focus, increasing requirements for scarce-skill disciplines and unglamourised sectors that increase the difficulty of talent attraction.

These problems are well documented but understanding the root cause of an issue assists in defining a solution. 

Whilst we are addressing our own talent challenges through our Rising Stars apprenticeship programme, we also understand that there is an immediate requirement for our clients to fulfil their current projects and obligations.

The UK water sector is also a victim of this but suffers further problems also.  The municipal cycle (presently AMP6) traditionally runs throughout a five year period and essentially follows a bell curve that reflects the release of funding by the water authorities.  Whilst this regulated industry must continue, it is constantly in danger of underperforming and not hitting its regulatory targets.  Some may argue that this is a direct result of the reduced margins imposed by the governing body, Ofwat, following the final determination released in 2014 that effectively stipulated that we (the customers) will not be exposed to a price increase over the next five years (at least not in line with inflation).

However, we cannot escape that a major factor is the lack of appropriate talent available to fulfil the work.  This talent problem unfortunately hits at multiple fronts within Water. Initial talent engagement a distinct problem coupled with experienced professionals becoming disillusioned at the downturn of every cycle and whom subsequently find themselves seeking alternative employment until the next stage of investment is released.

If you have been let go and know that it will happen again then why would you come back, let alone start in the first place?

I have been supplying industry professionals since AMP4 and this is unfortunately like death and taxes – you can count on it.

So, where do we go from here?  The cyclical programme of works is beyond the control of many (although this is potentially being addressed with the amalgamation of AMP6 & AMP7) but perhaps there are ways in which consultancies, contractors and authorities themselves can keep their teams engaged.  The American model of civil engineering provides an interesting perspective where a Civil Engineer, for argument’s sake, is not pigeonholed into an individual discipline such as highways, water, geotechnics, etc.  This would assist in providing a fluid workflow for underutilised engineers when the water work dries up.

This could also be applied to hydraulic modelling disciplines where many graduate and assistant modellers leave after their initial inauguration into the discipline, finding the work monotonous and without reward.  I have been undertaking work for a senior director of modelling within a UK engineering consultancy for many years now and we always encounter the same problems – why does potential or blossoming talent either decide to leave the industry when they are becoming their most valuable or not enter it at all?  Needless to say, his sustainable workforce management is one of the most challenging tasks I have encountered.

I am fortunate enough to work with a close colleague who spent many years effectively working as an in-house recruiter for one of the largest water authorities in the UK and his experience mirrors my own (as an external supplier).  He has proffered the thought that hydraulic modellers can be migrated into mechanical disciplines, utilising their skills in hydraulics outside of the water industry and there is also the obvious path of civil infrastructure design, designing the pipelines that they have initially modelled.

But for now, we are where we are.  The positive is that more people are talking about these types of issues more every day, STEM disciplines are being given more attention and, as stated above, many authorities are considering rolling the current and next municipal cycles up together.

The point of this article is not to provide an immediate solution for this, it is in the hope that this will join the growing ranks of people putting a voice to the issue. From our experience a great starting point would be to encourage reskilling. We have many candidates who have transferrable skills that have been real successes in the water industry. 

If you want to hear more about getting into the water industry please contact Dominic Hughes on 01925 747397 or dominic.hughes@bps-world.com