The inaugural British Water annual conference took place in Manchester in November of this year. We’ve outlined some of the main focuses from the event and have highlighted how discussions could shift demand for water industry skills over the coming years as the industry moves closer towards a period of major transformation.

As readers will know, AMP8 is approaching at speed, and this was naturally one of the key themes discussed at the conference. The asset management plan is outlined for delivery from 2025-2030 with the need to intensify collaboration, integration and digitisation clearly becoming a priority for the industry as a whole.

Major transformation

United Utilities commercial, engineering and capital delivery director, Jane Simpson highlighted the scale of the changes required, saying, “We’re walking into the biggest capital investment for growth the water industry has ever seen. For United Utilities, we’re moving from this AMP [2020-25], which is just under £2 billion of capital delivery, to a really ambitious £8 billion for the next AMP.”

According to Simpson, the firm is already collaborating more closely with neighbouring water companies, and is seeking to work with a much broader range of partners and suppliers than in the past, as well as looking to build closer relationships with local authorities and NGOs.

For many attendees at the conference, it became clear that delivering the scale of innovation needed requires a more open culture across the entire industry. Ofwat chair, Iain Coucher agreed saying that there were areas for improvement between water companies and the broader supply chain. “I don’t think we’ve yet got the regulatory construct, the collaboration in there, to enable us to have the conversations ... at an industry level,” Coucher explained. He also acknowledged that where nature-based solutions were concerned, special funding mechanisms might be required “to support exploration”.

Water industry skills

As well as a need for the industry to work in harmony to deliver the huge scale of changes and upgrades required, skills formed a key focus of the discussions.

Richard Price, group chief engineering director for Pennon (which includes South West Water, Bristol Water and Bournemouth Water) said another key pillar of AMP8 was organisational capability. He said Pennon is “bringing talent into the organisation at all levels, apprentices, graduates, and building that talent” and that there was a huge opportunity for contractors in the region.

Digital transformation is also clearly a focus, with the water industry acknowledging that it falls behind many other key fields when it comes to its adoption of, and ability to harness, the technology available to firms. However, it was also recognised that delivering the planned programme of change requires new skills to emerge, which would need existing blockers to be removed. Saffron Grant, managing director at Digital Construction Skills, said, “One of the biggest barriers to change is acknowledging the complexity. There’s not just one barrier, there are dozens and dozens of them. In every person and every company, it’s a unique blend of those barriers that needs to be addressed.”

Mark Froggatt, chief engineer, Anglian Water, also discussed how new talent groups are being attracted to work within the water sector: “We used to attract people in because of our engineering, now we attract them because of our purpose and our ability to influence the environmental side.” However, he also acknowledged that the industry as a whole needed to do more to get the public onside, particularly when it came to environmental concerns.

It was highly encouraging to see so many of the major players from across the water industry coming together and looking to collaborate more effectively than they have in the past. The industry is moving into a period of extreme transformation and flux, and will need the skills of talented and flexible professionals that can shift with the ever-changing demands that AMP8 will place on them and the sector as a whole.

For employers, sourcing and retaining the skills that can enable them to deliver major programmes of change is a priority; without these professionals on board, they simply won’t be able to deliver the work. However, seeing the industry coming together to tackle this challenge makes achieving these goals ever more likely and the future that bit more optimistic.

If you’re looking for your next water-based role, or you are an employer seeking skills to manage this growing demand, then get in touch with our expert team.

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