ScottishPower targets students to new apprenticeship schemes

ScottishPower is an energy company based in Glasgow and the distribution network operator for Central and Southern Scotland, Merseyside, and North Wales approximately 5,500 employees in the UK. They had labour shortages in several different roles including overhead linespersons, craft engineers, electrical engineers and project managers due to low availability of skills and competition from other energy companies. This, coupled with an increasingly ageing workforce, meant they had to focus on a sustainable succession plan.

Identify and invest in the business areas most affected by shortages

ScottishPower has a long tradition of delivering apprenticeships in the key skills areas of jointing, fitting and overhead lines. As skills shortages emerged, one of the first steps ScottishPower took was to create additional apprenticeships across the areas they needed people the most, such as in craft, power, electrical engineering, project management and Digital/IT.

The second step was to initiate a recruitment drive, ensuring it was targeted and localised depending on the geographic area where they had opportunities, engaging with career influencers in the local communities.

Using internal ambassadors to drive awareness of opportunities within the local labour market

ScottishPower wanted to be able to connect with the candidates within their labour pools. The best way to do this was to raise awareness of what ScottishPower had to offer, and send representativeness from the business into schools, colleges and universities to showcase their full range of apprenticeship programmes.

They also reached out to individuals who had great influence over the target market, such as parents and careers advisors, to help them understand why a career in energy is an attractive prospect for their pupils or children. ScottishPower also sent their existing apprentices out to speak to students directly, as many young people resonate better with someone similar to them in age and background.

In addition, using virtual platforms such as My World of Work, the Skills Development Scotland service designed to help build career management skills, allowed the message on prospects to be heard regardless of geographical boundaries.

Students can make you their employer of choice once they enter the workforce

The results have been impactful, with ScottishPower currently bringing in about 200 students for work experience in addition to 50 – 60 apprentices per year, with 95% of trainees so far successfully completing their apprenticeship programmes. It has meant the company has built a steady pipeline of talent that can grow with the company and move into leadership positions. In the last seven years, there have been approximately 600 trainees come through the programmes. Due to these wide-ranging programmes, ScottishPower have successfully managed their labour shortages and meet their licence obligations and operational demands.