Skills and Training Award
Celebrating best-in-class employers adopting novel ways to train and develop their people, with clear plans to future-proof their workforce. This award recognises companies finding new ways to plug the skills gap and strengthen their offer to employees.
Skills and Training Award
Celebrating best-in-class employers adopting novel ways to train and develop their people, with clear plans to future-proof their workforce. This award recognises companies finding new ways to plug the skills gap and strengthen their offer to employees.
Cadent
Safe+Well experience reimagines skills and safety training
Cadent’s Safe+Well experience reimagined skills and safety training through an immersive, actor-led learning event that puts colleagues at the centre of a realistic process safety training scenario. Co-created with behavioural change specialists Ripple&Co, Safe+Well moves beyond traditional safety roadshows to build confidence, accountability and shared ownership of safety training. Through live scenarios and facilitated learning stations, employees explore how decisions, behaviours and processes shape safety outcomes across a timeline of a fictional gas explosion. Safe+Well has strengthened Cadent’s safety culture, generated practical commitments for improvement and created a powerful platform for learning that will continue into 2027 and beyond.
EDF and BFY Group
Small Business Sales Excellence Programme
Following a major business transformation, EDF’s Small Business Sales team partnered with BFY Group to create Sales Excellence, an immersive, people-led programme designed to improve customer experience and sales performance together while building sustainable capability. At the heart of the programme was ENERGY, EDF’s newly created customer journey framework for acquisition and retention, embedded through call listening, side-by-side coaching, observation and real-time feedback. Successful participants earned City & Guilds and ILM accreditation through demonstrated capability in role. The programme increased sales retention by 23%, sales efficiency by 49% and leadership capability by 86%, delivering £2.7m in-year benefit and 8x ROI.
IMSERV
From Compliance to Capability: IMSERV's Learning Transformation
IMSERV is transforming learning from a mandatory requirement into a driver of confidence, capability and career development. Its learner-centred approach recognises that people learn differently, replacing one-size-fits-all training with practical experience, coaching, mentoring and realistic scenarios tailored to individual needs. Over the past year, IMSERV has brought accredited EUSR training in-house, introduced immersive management and mentor development, expanded apprenticeships and launched a new learning platform offering around 1,000 learning resources. Crucially, training evolves alongside the business, equipping employees with the technical and people skills needed to embrace new technology, progress their careers and support IMSERV’s continued growth.
M Group
Sector Entry Pilot launched to tackle industry skills gap
M Group Water’s Sector Entry Pilot is creating a new route into utilities for long-term unemployed people and NEETs, while helping address critical industry skills shortages. Working with DWP and training partners, M Group recruits people for their potential rather than utilities experience, developing their skills in a purpose-built simulated streetworks environment where they learn safely before working on customer sites. Three cohorts have already trained 29 people, with 18 remaining in employment and six progressing to Team Leader roles, demonstrating the programme’s ability to turn untapped potential into skilled people with genuine opportunities to build long-term careers in water.
National Grid
Powering Britain's Future: National Grid's Skills & Training Programmes
National Grid is tackling one of the utility sector’s greatest challenges: developing the skilled workforce needed to deliver the energy transition and achieve the UK’s net zero ambitions. Through industry-leading apprenticeship programmes, we equip learners with technical knowledge, practical skills and professional support to build successful careers in critical energy infrastructure. Our approach combines innovative learning design, structured mentoring and high-quality training to create a skilled, diverse and future-ready workforce. Strong achievement and retention rates, recognised training excellence and our contribution to securing the UK’s energy network demonstrate the lasting value of this work for communities and future generations alike.
National Grid & Capgemini
Aimee Silva – AI Learning Mentor
National Grid and frog, part of Capgemini Invent, developed Aimee Silva, a lifelike, AI-powered learning mentor designed to capture the expertise of experienced engineers and make it accessible to the next generation of energy professionals. Created in response to growing skills shortages and an ageing workforce, Aimee provides apprentices and trainees with on-demand guidance, practical insights and mentoring support. Piloted at National Grid’s electricity transmission training centre, the solution delivered strong learning outcomes, with the initiative helping to futureproof critical engineering skills for the energy transition.
SSE and Active Training Team
Faskally Safety Leadership Centre
SSE and Active Training Team are rethinking how a utility develops the human capabilities needed to deliver the energy transition safely at scale. At the Faskally Safety Leadership Centre in Perth, more than 8,000 people have experienced immersive learning that combines live drama, film, facilitated reflection and practical skills development. The programme builds confidence, communication, constructive challenge and personal leadership across employees and contract partners. Following the training, 95% agree they feel confident challenging unsafe behaviour, while strong agreement rises from 43% to 68% — demonstrating measurable improvement in a capability critical to SSE’s future workforce.
UK Power Networks
Plugging the utility skills gap
UK Power Networks knows hiring and training ex-Forces personnel and reservists delivers results. Their transferable skills help the company deliver electricity to 8.5 million homes and businesses across London, the East and South East, crucial to communities and commerce. But the benefits are two-fold. Leaving the armed services and rebuilding life from scratch, can be a difficult time particularly when negotiating the job market. Through tailored recruitment processes, outreach initiatives and civilian work attachments, UK Power Networks has created a unique pathway to ease that transition while attracting talented people who may never have considered careers in electrical engineering before.
Utilita Energy
Smart Meter Apprenticeship
Utilita’s Dual Fuel Smart Meter Engineer Apprenticeship is helping tackle the sector's skills shortage by creating an inclusive pathway into engineering careers. Recognising that reliance on recruiting fully qualified engineers was limiting both talent availability and workforce diversity, Utilita designed a programme that enables individuals with no previous industry experience or qualifications to train as Smart Meter Engineers. Through targeted partnerships, innovative recruitment practices, and structured learning and development, Utilita has successfully broadened access to the profession while developing a sustainable pipeline of future talent. The programme is delivering measurable results, including increased female representation and stronger workforce resilience.