New member joins The Tomorrow’s Engineers Code community
Published: 15 August, 2022
The Tomorrow’s Engineers Code brings employers together to inspire a diverse engineering workforce. Pennon Group has joined as a Signatory to The Code in order to continue inspiring the next generation to pursue a career within the energy and utilities sector.
The Code is about working together to increase the diversity and number of young people entering engineering careers. To achieve these goals, Signatories make 4 pledges about their approach to funding, designing, delivering, and learning from engineering outreach 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
Pennon Group is made up of several organisations, including South West Water, Bournemouth Water and Bristol Water. Nigel Fenn MBE, head of people projects and planning at South West Water, chairs the Attract & Inspire workstream as part of the Workforce Renewal and Skills Strategy 2020 – 2025 published by Energy & Utility Skills. As a Supporter of The Code, the company is focused on raising awareness of the energy and utilities sector and the types of jobs available, including the increasing number of green jobs. It is also charged with inspiring the next generation to a career within the sector.
Commenting on Pennon Group signing up to The Code, Nigel Fenn said: “We have a long history of recruiting and supporting the development of talented engineers so signing up for The Code was an easy decision for us. We are proud to be supporting The Tomorrow’s Engineers Code as we look to inspire the next generation of employees to join our company and pursue a long-term and rewarding career in the water industry.”
Phil Beach CBE, chief executive of energy & utility skills added, “We are delighted to see that Pennon Group, incorporating one of our members, South West Water, has made the commitment to inspire the next generation of engineers to work in the energy and utilities industries. We are facing a significant skills challenge as we transition to Net Zero, and the Code community is playing a vital role in securing our future talent pipeline.”
Dr Hilary Leevers, chief executive of EngineeringUK, which manages The Tomorrow’s Engineers Code, commented: “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, diverse, and representative future workforce. Pennon Group aims to do just that, and I am thrilled to have them on board with us.”
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