RECRUITMENT
DEFINING EV LANDSCAPES FROM POLICY TO ROLLOUT AND FILLING THE TALENT ACQUISITION GAP.
Several announcements have been made by the UK Government about a ban on selling new petrol, diesel, or hybrid cars after 2035. This comes after realising the deadline for the 2050 Net-Zero target is not far away. Electrification of transport is a must if we are to cut as much as 33% of the UK’s total CO2 emissions, but what are the main considerations of such ambitious plans?
T
he waters are still rather murky as to who is responsible for what, with a fine line defining what the private and the public sector are each responsible for. On one hand, rolling out charging infrastructure in public spaces seems to fall in both courts; on the other, there is still need for both clearer policy and government funding and investment. However, despite these difficulties, the market is facing a boom in both EV sales and partnerships. EV sales increased by 200% from last year and, only last week, the UK’s five biggest vehicle fleet operators – Centrica, Royal Mail, BT, DPD UK and Openreach – joined the call for a 2030 ban as part of the UK Electric Fleets Coalition. These are some of the most recent developments in the EV world, as reported by Current ± this week. But what does this mean from a practical perspective for those businesses involved in providing infrastructure and software to support this growth? The EV market is still emerging, posing both risks and rewards to the stakeholders involved. There is also an immediate need for professionals who can support the market. But, due to the modernity of the sector and the consequential lack of experienced individuals, finding the right people can be challenging. In our experience, succeeding in any emerging market is all about recognising which skills are transferable from other sectors, as well as engaging with the relevantly experienced individuals you can identify and attract. At Climate17, we have been working in the Clean Energy markets as recruitment partners to those who
have been sector pioneers since their inceptions. Renewable Energy was a concept that seemed far-off only fifteen years ago and was scoffed at by many working in Oil & Gas. Today, more than 30% of the UK’s electricity comes from renewable energy, and we have been progressively inundated with Oil & Gas industry professionals (as well as many from other sectors) looking to move across. Climate 17 believe that, in the same way that the Renewable Energy sector (particularly Offshore Wind) needed to utilise Oil & Gas skillsets, the EV sector will also benefit from equally transferrable skills. To support the EV sector, we have recently appointed Lucy Hoyle as a Senior Consultant, who will be leading on the expansion of our EV outreach, supporting companies at the frontline of EV growth. Lucy will be working with software companies, EV infrastructure installers and engineering design and advisory firms, helping them to build their core teams from the ground up. Lucy is an experienced recruiter with over 10 years’ recruitment experience, working across the Marine, Aerospace, Defence and Energy sectors. She has strong engineering technical knowledge, and can quickly identify key skills transferrable to the EV sector, for which she has a genuine passion. Lucy is looking forward to contributing to the growth of this key sector. Climate17 are pleased to announce our growing presence in this new and exciting space, and are looking forward to supporting the many companies who are already in or are going to join the venture. https://www.climate17.com/
ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020
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