The demand for water and wastewater services in the UK continues to swell as the industry grapples with a serious skills shortage. Tackling this issue requires a comprehensive approach, from embracing technology and diversity to fortifying training programmes, to fostering stronger collaborations between academia and industry.

But amid these challenges is a realm of opportunity. With UK water companies recently announcing plans to invest the largest amount of money into the industry on record, attracting professionals to industrial water jobs could be that little bit easier.

Let’s look at what the investment entails, alongside the current talent challenges and where job opportunities lie for graduate engineers and apprentices in the UK water industry.

Exciting Water Industry Jobs on The Horizon

Last year, the largest water companies in the UK set forth a record-breaking proposal – to invest £96 billion into water and sewage infrastructure between 2025 and 2030. It will create more than 30,000 new jobs in water treatment and 4,000 new apprenticeships – a 50% boost to the current workforce.

The plans include building ten new reservoirs to secure water supplies, as well as cutting leakage by over a quarter by 2030. This includes an £11 billion investment to upgrade sewage infrastructure to reduce overflow spills, create ‘smart sewers’ using technology to intelligently control flows, as well as new nature-based schemes to manage rainwater. It’s touted as the most ambitious modernisation of sewers since the Victorian era.

Challenges Across the Industry and How to Address Them

Unfortunately, the UK water sector has faced many years of underinvestment and mismanagement. These factors led to insufficient maintenance and inefficient resource allocation, exacerbating the decline of ageing water infrastructure and decreasing its overall performance.

It appears the record levels of investment announced will go a long way towards addressing these challenges. But there is another challenge taking precedence, as water infrastructure is facing the same issue as the water workforce – it’s ageing.

According to the Water Industry Journal, more than 20% of those in water industry jobs will retire in the next decade. That’s a large accumulation of knowledge due to leaving the sector.

In stark contrast, just 8% of the UK water sector workforce is aged under 24. Addressing these dual challenges requires a multi-faceted approach, and here are a few suggestions to help you tackle this pressing issue.

Go Digital

The UK water industry is increasingly adopting digital technologies to improve efficiency, sustainability, as well as supply and infrastructure resilience. Tech such as data analytics, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence (AI) and remote monitoring are transforming how water and wastewater systems are managed and maintained.

For instance, Anglian Water became the UK’s first water organisation to implement digital twin technology. The tech is pre-emptive – it creates a digital representation of the region’s water treatment and distribution infrastructure to pinpoint where leaks are likely to happen before they actually do.

Another example is the Dutch water authority Vallei en Veluwe, which manages 16 wastewater treatment plants in the Netherlands. They use AI within their wastewater transport and treatment control systems to predict critical changes in flow and automate the appropriate response, saving their engineers hours of time. They also use machine learning to automate key controls, like pump and valve adjustment, to optimise nutrient removal and reduce energy and chemical use without direct worker involvement.

With the increasing integration of technologies, Engineers who possess digital skills (or those who are interested in developing them) are highly in demand.

Many water engineering jobs of the future will include AI, data science and software engineering skillsets.

Go Diverse

An Energy and Utilities Skills Partnership report found women make up only 29.1% of the UK water industry workforce, compared to 47.3% of women across all sectors. There’s clearly room for improvement to bring the sector in line with the nation’s average.

There is a host of strategies you can use to attract more women into your workforce, particularly in to technical roles. It begins with ensuring your recruitment policies and materials are inclusive, paying particular attention to your job advertisements to remove any real or perceived barriers to employment. This is a task a specialist water and wastewater recruitment partner can assist with, like us here at Alexander Associates.

Other ways to attract female water talent are to have flexible working policies, enhanced leave entitlements (for instance, maternity, adoption, paternity, shared parental and elder care), as well as train and promote from within. Some water companies also have specific employee leadership training programmes for this purpose.

Go Young

With so many skilled water professionals retiring, it’s important to look to the younger generation to replace them. According to the Energy and Utilities Skills Partnership report, just 9.2% of those currently working in water industry jobs are aged 16-24.

A key way to boost this figure is to take on apprentices. While you can reach out to new potential talent, it’s also worth looking within. You may have existing younger employees who are interested in up-skilling, perhaps from a general labourer role to becoming a certified water treatment plant operator.

Keep an eye out for opportunities to involve your older workforce in these schemes. Their transfer of knowledge built from years in the industry is invaluable to not only your younger employees but your business overall.

There are a number of additional avenues for connecting with younger possible hires, from exhibiting at careers fairs to talks about your work in water at schools. These can be virtual, blended or face-to-face.

Go Broad

As water skills are in scarce supply, expanding your hiring parameters can be extremely beneficial. Instead of only looking for those with water experience, you can include candidates with a solid foundation of core engineering and/or project manager competencies.

Engineering Jobs with Transferable Skills for the Water Industry

Examples of engineering disciplines with transferable skills include Environmental Engineers, who can transfer their experience from the energy or waste management sector directly to water. Industrial Engineers can use their knowledge of optimising complex systems and processes to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of water treatment and distribution systems.

Mining Engineers have key insights into extracting and managing natural resources that apply to water resource management. Agricultural Engineers are somewhat similar, with a foundation in irrigation systems design and water conservation practices. And ex-Military Engineers with water infrastructure experience also have highly transferable skills that can be invaluable in a range of projects.

Find Support for Hiring Engineers or Applying for Industrial Water Jobs

Addressing the UK’s water skills shortage requires proactivity. This includes investment in training, fostering collaboration and being open to widening your hiring talent pool.

Alexander Associates can help you source the candidates needed to drive success in your business, from curating the right recruitment materials all the way through to offer negotiations. If you’re an engineer with transferable skills for the water industry and looking for a career change, we can help you with that, too. Please contact one of our specialists today.

If you’re a Civil, Structural, Mechanical or Electrical Engineer, the UK space industry is recruiting. Should you take the plunge?  
 
It’s certainly worth considering, as it’s a rapidly evolving industry bursting with technological advancement, exciting opportunities, and excellent working conditions. 
 
Space is also a sector experiencing an immense amount of growth, spurred by developments in space tourism, satellite technology, and exploration missions. This has resulted in soaring demand for engineering professionals from a wide cross-section of industries, ones who naturally possess complementary and transferable skills.  

Here you will uncover a few reasons why you should consider a move into the UK space industry, alongside some of the ground-breaking work you can do in a field filled with infinite possibilities, ones that continually push the limits of human knowledge and capability.  
 

Why Consider a Move into The UK Space Industry? 

The UK space industry is facing an uphill recruitment battle. It’s rapidly growing (77% of space companies are expanding, while the UK government has set a target of 100,000 new space jobs by 2030), but it’s also facing a large engineering talent shortage.  
 
A huge 80% of companies surveyed in the Space Sector Skills Survey 2023 said they had struggles recruiting the talent they need, with close to 70% saying the top reason was they didn’t have enough applicants.  
 
This bodes extremely well for your chances of success in landing engineering jobs in the UK space industry. It also gives you a little extra leverage when it comes to remuneration and benefits negotiation.   
 
While that is a great reason in itself to consider a job in the space sector, there are numerous others.  
 
You’ll have an opportunity to build a dynamic, challenging and impactful career, right at the forefront of technological advancement. You’ll contribute to significant scientific and pioneering projects like spacecraft design, satellite technology, and maybe even habitats for other planets. Reusable rockets, novel propulsion systems, satellite in-orbit servicing – the examples are endless! 
 
Many engineers initially decide on their career path as it offers them a chance to make an impact, whether directly on their community or on a global scale. In the UK space industry, you have the prospect to do a little (or a lot) of both. Some space sector initiatives improve communication networks or monitor environmental changes, while others give you the opportunity to get involved with missions that exponentially advance human knowledge.   
 
In addition, you will have an abundance of choices in the types of companies you could join. There are nearly 1,600 UK organisations with confirmed space-related activities, according to the UK Space Industry 2022 report. There are the big players, like Airbus Defence and Space, and Surrey Satellite Technology Limited, but a growing number of smaller outfits and start-ups too.   
 
If you’re concerned with your lack of space-related knowledge, almost three-quarters (72%) of the organisations surveyed in the government’s Space Sector report said they provide on-the-job training, both formal (92%) and informal (84%).  
 
As for working conditions, you’ll enjoy plenty of interdisciplinary collaboration with a diverse range of professionals, from scientists to IT experts, to further enhance your knowledge base and skillsets.  
 

What Type of Engineering Work Can I Do in The UK Space Industry? 

If you have an engineering background, there is a wealth of exciting career opportunities in the UK's space sector. Here are a few examples: 
 

Civil and Structural Engineers

Civil and Structural Engineers can get involved in designing and constructing facilities, such as launch pads, spaceports, and ground stations, as well as ground facilities for satellite manufacturing, testing, and control centres.  
 
For ground-based satellite facilities, Civil Engineers can assess and mitigate environmental impacts. 

If you like research and development, you could also work with space-related infrastructure agencies or companies specifically focused on this. 
 
Specific skillsets you can use: 
 
1.Your deep understanding of structural integrity is crucial for designing and analysing space infrastructure. 
2. Your materials science knowledge, particularly how they behave under various conditions including extreme environments, is very useful when selecting appropriate materials for spacecraft and other space structures. 
3. Your expertise in sustainable design and environmental impact assessments is important as the space industry increasingly focuses on these vital areas. 
4. Your risk analysis and mitigation proficiency, perhaps from working in construction or civil engineering, can be applied to identifying and addressing potential risks in space missions. For example, minimising vibrations is important for spacecraft during the launch, orbit, and landing phases. 

 

Mechanical Engineers

Mechanical Engineers contribute to the design and construction of spacecraft, satellites and rovers, but can also specialise in the development of spacecraft propulsion systems, or managing spaceships’ thermal and fluid systems. 
 
Specific skillsets you can use: 
1. Your design and analytical skills to make adjustments and/or improvements to mechanical systems for spacecraft, satellites and exploration rovers. 
2. Your thermal and fluid dynamics knowledge to design and manage systems that operate efficiently. 
3. Your expertise in advanced manufacturing processes, which are important for producing high-quality and reliable components for space missions. 
4. You may have mechatronics and robotics experience which can be applied to the development of space rovers, robotic arms spaceships, and other automated systems used in space exploration. 
 

Electrical Engineers

As an Electrical Engineer, you can get involved in the design and maintenance of satellites and communications, or work on the electronic systems that control spacecraft, including sensors and control mechanisms – both essential for space missions. 
 
You can also develop spacecraft and space station power systems utilising solar arrays and battery technologies. 
 
Specific skillsets you can use: 
1. Your skills in designing and integrating complex electrical circuits can be applied to spacecraft electronics and power systems. 
2. Your expertise in signal processing and communications is vital for satellite communications and data transmission from space missions. 
3. Your experience in designing and working with sensors and instrumentation is critical for data collection and analysis in space explorations. 
 

Are There Other Engineering Skills I Can Use In A Space Career? 

No matter your field of engineering, it’s likely you will have a cache of transferable skills that are vital in a space career.  
 
From our perspective as an engineering recruiter, we can confidently say there’s been a significant shift in the emphasis employers place on soft skills, often over technical skills, which can mostly be developed on the job.  
 
Your transferable engineering skills include: 
· Problem-solving for tackling complex and unstructured problems (a frequent occurrence in space projects) 
· Innovation, creativity, and analytical thinking are all core abilities in developing and working with new technologies for space applications. 
· Teamwork and collaboration allows you to work effectively within multidisciplinary teams. 
·  Project management acumen, especially around managing timelines and resources, crucial skills for long-duration, high-cost and high-risk space programmes.  
·  Adaptability and flexibility are both highly valued abilities in the rapidly evolving space field. 
 

How Do I Find Space Engineering Jobs in the UK? 

From innovative work on cutting-edge projects to a growing industry with a profusion of career opportunities, there are many compelling reasons to consider making a switch to the UK space industry as an engineer.  
 
The quickest path to finding the best space engineering jobs the UK has to offer is to engage with a specialist space engineeringrecruiter. Here at Alexander Associates, we’ve invested a significant amount of time and effort in building relationships with many of the UK’s leading space companies. Please connect withone of our experts to find out more about the space roles we have on offer, or to discuss what a switch to the space industry might look like for you.