FUELLING CHANGE

HOW CADENT GAS,THE UK’S LARGEST GAS DISTRIBUTION NETWORK, IS FACING UP TO THE UK’S SOCIAL MOBILITY DEARTH.

SPOTLIGHT ON STEVE FRASER AND MARTIN RIMMER AND CADENT GAS

FUELLING A REVOLUTION IN OPPORTUNITY CREATION

Cadent Gas has over 200 years of history, tracing back to the very start of the gas industry in Britain. Having previously been part of National Grid, Cadent established itself in 2017. It delivers gas to over eleven million homes and businesses in the UK, spanning around 82,000 miles and serving both populated urban centres and sparse rural areas. Operating across four networks – North West, West Midlands, East of England and North London – with 3,968 employees, Cadent serves fifty per cent of UK gas customers and provides them with the necessary energy to stay safe and warm. As a regulated monopoly serving such a high percentage of the UK, Cadent acknowledges that there are differing geographical and social issues within these local communities, and recognises the role it has in delivering for all of these areas.

Its drive to target cold spots has already had a “ meaningful impact on local communities

Under the leadership of CEO Steve Fraser CEO, and key personnel such as Martin Rimmer, Chief People Officer, Cadent is driven to help the local communities in its service area and to support its customers at every stage of its operational delivery. As the largest gas distribution network (GDN), covering a vast area of the UK, Cadent has taken crucial steps to increase social mobility and promote greater equality and opportunities for young people, those in employment, and the local communities it serves. By employing different indicators through its Customer Vulnerability Strategy to measure social mobility, Cadent has been able to target certain areas within its service network, tailoring its support based on different social mobility challenges. The company’s talent pipeline schemes achieve two things: they support young people in engaging with STEM and help develop key employable skills. Cadent’s Education and Skills Strategy combines STEM enrichment, careers inspiration and work experience; it addresses the STEM gap and increases opportunities for young people, equipping them with knowledge that will serve them in the future. Likewise, Cadent recognises the importance of apprenticeships and graduate programmes in boosting social mobility, and thus offers a variety of programmes to increase diversity and inclusivity – a key element in addressing the social mobility coldspots. Cadent’s NEET programme is also an excellent first step in reaching out to disadvantaged young people and despite being impacted by Covid-19, the programme demonstrated its future potential in creating employment opportunities. Cadent has recognised that strategically there is still a long way to go in maintaining young people’s engagement with the gas industry. With its ageing and retiring workforce, Cadent needs to be creative and forward-thinking in its approach to future engagement challenges.

Its work on the H21 project demonstrates the crucial role that Cadent is playing in the delivery of low carbon fuels. H21 is a suite of gas industry projects designed to support conversion of the UK gas networks to carry 100 per cent hydrogen. By leading a UK wide initiative, Cadent will find itself in a favourable position with young people if it can frame its engagement with young people in the context of the energy transition and the future with a greener gas industry. As such, it needs to work on creating opportunities, be it work experience, apprenticeships or wider engagement, that reflect this green agenda and which can be incorporated into its wider social mobility strategy, inspiring the future cohort. As a new company, Cadent has the space to cultivate a diverse and inclusive culture, which promotes innovative solutions and nurtures the high calibre of its employees. Cadent’s workspace has cultivated values of respect, reflecting its broader strategies in local communities. Cadent’s commitment to talent progression, diversity and inclusivity can be seen with its Employee Communities, the EmployAbility programme, and its drive to address the gender gap, both in pay and opportunities. Cadent’s Employee Communities inspires confidence, establishes networks, and allows the company to monitor its diversity and inclusivity agenda. Cadent recognises that strategically there is still more to address, as it continues looking further into reducing social mobility barriers to improve the company’s accessibility. Cadent is working hard to support the communities in its service area and should be commended for such a strong delivery. The Cadent Foundation has provided invaluable aid during Covid-19, and the employees’ selflessness is evident in its volunteering for food banks. As a company based in the Midlands with low social mobility and a high percentage of the UK coldspots, Cadent has drawn on its partnerships and stakeholders to provide necessary support to the most vulnerable in its communities. Initiatives such as The Safety Seymour Campaign and Connected for Warmth are testament to the value Cadent brings to its service area. Engaging with people of all ages, it ensures that everyone is aware of what it does and the support it can offer. By employing a variety of different and creative outreach frameworks, Cadent can continue supporting and inspiring a wider collective of people. It is clear that Cadent recognises its responsibility to be forward thinking in creating long-term projects and schemes to support both its company and future generations. With the Covid-19 landscape and its many challenges, Cadent has the opportunity to shape its culture and build its strategies to continue helping individuals and communities. As a leading purpose-driven company, Cadent’s drive to improve social mobility and target its coldspots has already had a meaningful impact in local communities, ultimately increasing opportunities to help ensure regions in the UK can reach their full potential, as demonstrated by its outcomes even through its school and community engagement. However, Cadent has worked with the Social Mobility Pledge to identify in which areas it could go further. The Social Mobility Pledge has looked to provide potential areas where Cadent could focus its community engagement where opportunity gaps are wider than average, or at least provide an example of the type of characteristics Cadent can look to identify when targeting its community engagement in the future.