Putting apprentices at the centre - of a skills revolution

When people meet, they often ask: What do you do? A more revealing question is Why?

I’ve been pondering this for some time, not just before and during the latest National Apprentice Week just gone, but for strategic reasons. This issue of motivation and career choice is of strategic importance for SUEZ recycling and recovery UK, but also for our industry and the circular economy – and thus UK Plc.

Late last year we published a report in The New Statesman, titled: The Circular Economy: Green growth, jobs and resilience. It was just our latest declaration on the urgent need for a green skills revolution. Because – there can be no net zero without a circular economy, and no circular economy without gearing up and upskilling the waste sector and other interconnected industries.

Just a few statistics demonstrate the scale of the challenge. The UK currently has a green skills deficit of around 70,000 people. The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) also estimates that the sector will need 238,000 more skilled practitioners by 2040.

Clearly, this is a massive task demanding a combined commitment from employers, educators, and government. Aligning national policies is the first priority. The UK’s skills and industrial policies must work hand in hand, ensuring businesses have the right incentives to invest in training for the future and in the infrastructure and research and development that will underpin a sustainable, resource-efficient economy.

Demographic timebomb

So, it was an encouraging first step last September when the government announced its decision to replace the Apprenticeship Levy. The new Growth and Skills Levy will give priority to careers in critical industries and allow employers – and especially, smaller businesses – greater flexibility to provide shorter and more agile apprenticeships.

This and other policy measures can help facilitate the right training, in the right way, for the right sectors. But it’s going to take a number of years to have the desired effect. In the meantime, we are confronted by an urgent demographic timebomb that is widening existing skills gaps.

In the waste sector, the average age of a worker is heading towards 50. Just 5% of staff are between the ages of 16 and 24. With green skills in demand, and those possessing them able to pick and choose from various job opportunities, the industry needs to raise its game. How can we collectively and as individual employers attract more of this talent?

Purposeful careers

As an industry, we need to work a lot harder to dispel negative perceptions. We must reposition the resource recovery and recycling sector in the minds of the public and young people, in particular. The coming generation, according to the Deloitte 2024 Millennial and Gen Z Survey, “want purpose-driven work and are not afraid to turn down work that doesn’t align with their values”.

Our business is in the vanguard of the transition to the circular economy. Viewed through the lens of sustainability, such companies should be seen as an attractive proposition. All the more so when young people realise the wide range of career opportunities open to them in large, diversified companies and the sector generally.

But how many Gen Z schoolchildren choosing their options this year are imagining a fulfilling future in waste management? Probably, very few. Which is why reaching out to schools as well as colleges and universities is so important.

Our outreach programme has for many years focused on encouraging participation in the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths) and raising awareness of environmental issues. Initiatives include developing educational resources, presenting at careers days, interview coaching, and hosting site tours. Our talent acquisition strategy and links to the education sector also cover business support functions, such as law, HR, finance and IT.

Diverse and inclusive workplaces also appeal to the new generation of employees. A people strategy that fosters an open and supportive culture at work resonates with younger workers. And it makes our story of secure and worthwhile work more compelling. Ours is a sector that is growing and evolving. New entrants with a growth mindset can look forward to multiple careers and opportunities with a single employer geared to lifelong learning.

This last year we have welcomed 20 new joiners on our graduate recruitment programme. There are 10 interns working across all areas of the business. And we have onboarded more than 30 new apprentices, with a view to taking that total to three figures in 2025 to complement our current apprentices. Succession planning requires a steady stream of new talent in every part of the organisation.

Reinventing apprenticeships

Modern apprenticeships are central to our strategy as a people-centred learning organisation. They are not just for school-leavers or new joiners. There is no upper age limit. They offer development at every stage of a career. From entry-level training to master’s degrees, apprenticeships provide real jobs with structured learning. They help individuals grow while making a meaningful contribution to the company.

As part of this commitment to upskilling across the spectrum of job roles, we have set up our own Digital and Data Skills Academy.

Contrary to the traditional image of the industry, ours is now a data-heavy business. The need for advanced waste sorting technologies, AI-driven recycling initiatives, and digital waste tracking systems is increasing. We require workers skilled in data analysis and management.

We must ensure that the people handling these data streams have the skills to optimise and commercialise the vast array of information we have at our disposal. This is business-critical for retaining a competitive advantage in an increasingly sophisticated and data-reliant marketplace.

Data science is just one example of the rapid transformation of the resource recovery and recycling business on the one hand, and on the other – the competition we face for talent with all the businesses going through digital transformation.

As they hone their data and green skills, apprentices need to be at the heart of the skills revolution in SUEZ and across the circular economy.