How utilities can recruit and manage the best young professionals

Utility managers will develop ideas for recruiting and retaining the best young professionals in a session at the GWOPA Congress next week.

The session will examine the career paths that young professionals want in the sector and their career aspirations. There will be discussion on the new skills, techniques and the mindset and approach that young people bring to the workplace.

This is part of research in a project about career pathways for young professionals. The objective is to produce guidance for utility managers on how to create new and interesting opportunities for young professionals and to better understand how they work. The sector has an ageing workforce and while it is essential there a knowledge transfer from experienced to younger people in the sector, we also need to make sure the sector adapts and remains a relevant and attractive prospect for talented young professionals.

The project is called Career Pathways Guidance and is led by Aquafed and is one of a suite of projects about youth in the sector, organised under the Valuing Water Initiative Youth Journey. The Rural Water Supply Network is partnering with AquaFed to deliver the research phase of Career Pathways Guidance.

A member of Afr'Eau will facilitate the session in the Bonn Room at the Congress venue, at 3pm on Tuesday, 23 May. You can also join online and will be able to interact and give ideas during the session.