Renewables win with new industry champions

The East Sussex Careers Hub team held their latest all-day Continued Professional Development (CPD) event on Thursday 8th December 2022 at the Wellshurst Golf Club in Horam. Over 40 Careers Leaders and Advisers from secondary schools and colleges all across East Sussex attended the event alongside Enterprise Advisers from local businesses.

The main focus of the event was around Gatsby Benchmark 7, encounters with further and higher education, with guest speakers from local employers and training providers, including OHM Energy, the East Sussex College Decarbonisation Academy, Morgan Sindall, and more.

Independent training providers also got the opportunity to host stands and network with schools and colleges during the morning session to discuss how they can support young people with their next steps.

OHM Energy have joined the East Sussex Careers Hub’s Industry Champion programme to promote green jobs and encourage young people to join the energy sector.

The renewable energy sector suffers from a national skills gap as the UK transitions to a low carbon economy. The latest data from the Office of National Statistics shows that the government will be unable to deliver green jobs targets, and renewable energy companies are already struggling to hire in many areas.

OHM Energy and East Sussex College Group (ESCG) have recently launched a Training Hub for the Renewable Energy sector in Hampden Park, Eastbourne. Paul Vine, a Director from OHM Energy and Damian Richards, Head of Green Technology at ESCG presented the Training Hub partnership at the CPD event, to aid schools and colleges to encourage leavers to consider careers in the green energy sector.

The Industry Champions are a volunteer network of local employers who volunteer their time to participate in and support careers events and activities in local secondary schools and colleges, such as hosting stands at careers fairs, supporting mock interviews, or giving assembly talks to students about their company, employability skills and career pathways.

The Industry Champion programme provides a fantastic opportunity for companies to engage with the future workforce about their next steps and fulfil any social value commitments within the local community. If you would be interested in becoming an Industry Champion, please contact the East Sussex Careers Hub at Enterprise.Coordinator@eastsussex.gov.uk.