The Government’s expert group to secure the future of water industry workforce has held its inaugural meeting today.

Convened by Defra and co-chaired with sector skills body Energy & Utility Skills, the group will drive coordinated action to grow a future-ready, highly skilled workforce across England and Wales, which will form the future of the water sector.

The first meeting of the Water Skills Strategic Group brought together senior leaders in government from and across the water sector and its supply chain.

Membership includes senior representatives from Defra, Energy & Utility Skills, Water UK, British Water, the Institute of Water, CIWEM, the Future Water Association, major water companies across England and Wales, supply chain contractors and key government departments.

The Group will work to ensure the water industry has the necessary skills and workforce it needs to deliver record  levels of investment and sector reform.

The Group’s focus will be the delivery of the £104 billion AMP8 investment programme – the largest since privatisation – which will create more than 30,000 new jobs, support the building of 1.5 million new homes, and help restore the nation’s rivers, lakes and seas.

The Group will ensure the water sector has the skills needed to deliver huge infrastructure projects including nine new reservoirs, nine large-scale water transfer schemes and reducing leaks from water pipes. This will include roles such as bioresources technicians, hydraulics specialists, engineers, construction workers, and surveyors.

Meeting quarterly, the group will focus on identifying where skills are needed most across the sector, exploring how to improve its attractiveness to new, diverse talent and ensuring the right training and qualifications are in place. A framework for measuring progress will ensure the group is achieving its objectives, creating impact and robustly planning to support the implementation of the government’s water reform.

Water Minister Emma Hardy said:

“We’re driving the biggest overhaul of the water sector since privatisation - making sure record investment goes where it’s needed most to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas.

“That means opening up jobs and opportunities across England and Wales so we have skilled people on the ground, in every community, delivering the change we all want to see.

“This partnership between government, industry and training bodies will help build the workforce we need for the future of our water sector.”

Paul Cox, Group Chief Executive, Energy & Utility Skills, said:

“The water sector stands at a pivotal moment with a shared responsibility to deliver for customers and the environment. Skills are central to that ambition. The scale of AMP8 investment will bring lasting benefits for communities, families and individuals across the United Kingdom.

“By grounding decisions in evidence, attracting new talent, developing expertise and retaining experience, the sector can build a skilled and resilient workforce ready to meet future challenges. Through collaboration and pace, the sector can turn ambition into delivery and secure clean, reliable and sustainable water for generations to come.”

This builds on commitments made at the Water UK Skills Summit earlier this year where government and industry leaders signed the Water Skills Pledge, affirming the government’s commitment to ensuring the water sector has the skills and workforce it needs to succeed.

Defra has also established the Water Delivery Taskforce, which brings together Government, regulators, and water industry representatives, to ensure water companies complete their planned investments on time and on budget - providing value for money for customers.

The government will fast-track key recommendations from the Independent Water Commission and outline further actions in a White Paper later this year, paving the way for new legislation to attract investment, speed up infrastructure delivery, and restore public confidence in the sector.

The group will run throughout the five year AMP8 investment period until March 2030.