Future Water Association Chief Executive Paul Horton attended the inaugural meeting of the Water Skills Strategic Group, joining government, regulators, and senior sector leaders to help shape the future of the UK’s water workforce.
Convened by Defra and co-chaired with Energy & Utility Skills, the new group has been established to ensure the industry has the right skills and capabilities in place to deliver the government’s record £104 billion investment programme—the largest since privatisation.
The programme is expected to create more than 30,000 new jobs, support the building of 1.5 million new homes, and accelerate work to restore rivers, lakes, and seas across England and Wales.
Supporting the nation’s future water workforce
The Water Skills Strategic Group will work to ensure the sector has the specialist skills required to deliver major infrastructure projects, including nine new reservoirs, nine strategic water transfer schemes, and significant leakage reduction programmes. Roles in demand include bioresources specialists, engineers, technicians, construction professionals, and surveyors.
Meeting quarterly, the group will:
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Identify critical skills gaps across England and Wales
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Explore opportunities to attract new and diverse talent into the water sector
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Strengthen training pathways, qualifications, and routes into skilled work
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Develop a framework to monitor progress and measure long-term impact
This work will support the government’s wider water reform agenda and ensure the workforce is equipped to deliver change at pace and scale.
Government emphasises urgent need for skills
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.”
Sector leaders echo the call for coordinated action
Paul Cox, Group Chief Executive, Energy & Utility Skills, added:
“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… Through collaboration and pace, the sector can turn ambition into delivery and secure clean, reliable and sustainable water for generations to come.”
Future Water Association in action
Future Water’s attendance at the meeting reflects its ongoing commitment to supporting skills development, workforce planning, and collaboration across the sector.
The Water Skills Strategic Group will meet quarterly and run until 2030 to align with Asset Management Period 8 (AMP8).