Regenerating Futures: NWG Innovation Festival 2025

BLOGBy Rullion on 22 July 2025

How a week of creativity and collaboration helped inspire the next generation of talent in water and utilities jobs

The NWG Innovation Festival 2025 brought together hundreds of partners, industry experts, and young minds to tackle some of the biggest challenges in the water and utilities sector. As a leading utilities recruitment agency, Rullion played a hands-on role in supporting early careers, empowering diverse voices, and helping Northumbrian Water deliver real social value.

Here’s how the week unfolded.

Supporting young talent through practical, people-first sessions

More than 300 students joined the Young Citizens Work Experience Festival and regenerating your future (for young people not in education, employment, or training). These sessions were designed to bring early careers support to life – with interactive, inclusive activities focused on skills-building and collaboration.

Rullion helped co-host Young Citizens Work Experience Festival, a series of energetic, Dragon’s Den-style workshops. Students in Years 10 and 11 worked in small groups to create ideas that could improve water sustainability or reduce waste. They then pitched their solutions back to the group.

See the energy for yourself

Watch our team in action at the Innovation Festival!

Some standout ideas by the students included:

An app that tracks water usage and rewards you with money off your bill
Robot mice that detect pipe blockages underground
Timed shower tools to reduce water consumption
Rainwater tanks on school roofs for reuse
School-wide recycling schemes for plastic and liquid waste
The students brought imagination and fresh thinking to every session.

"They helped me go away with ideas. They're always thinking differently. I came hoping to inspire them, but they inspired me." — Dan Crerand, Train to Deploy Director

Over 240 staff hours were invested by Rullion across the week, with team members adapting every session to the personalities and needs of each school group. That flexibility made a real difference.

"You don’t know who’s walking through the door. But within minutes, you see the collaboration. Even the quieter students start feeding in great ideas." — Tracy Hands, Client Services Director

A true festival feel: Innovation in action at Newcastle Racecourse

The Innovation Festival 2025 took place at Newcastle Racecourse from 7–10 July. This wasn’t your typical conference. The event had a genuine festival feel, blending forward-thinking innovation with outdoor fun and community spirit.

Over 3,000 innovators from 37 countries and 500 organisations attended the event, spanning 45 sectors. The festival theme of "regeneration" brought together people and ideas aimed at rebuilding infrastructure, ecosystems, and economies for a more resilient future.

Attendees were treated to a range of experiences, including:

Delicious food stands serving mini pancakes, crumble, and more
Picnic areas for networking over lunch
A volleyball court and green space for team games
Live entertainment and wellbeing activities
The “Daily Dash” – a guided morning session focused on connection, creativity, and problem-solving – as well as full day sprints

Headphones were used during sessions – not for silent discos, but to ensure everyone could hear clearly without raised voices. Each speaker used a mic ball passed around the room, keeping the tone interactive and relaxed.

There was no shortage of star power either. Daily guest speakers included:

Emma Hardy, Water Minister
George Clarke, architect and TV presenter
Simon Reeve, broadcaster and adventurer
Priya Lakhani, tech entrepreneur and AI expert

The entire venue buzzed with ideas and energy. From structured sprints and hands-on hacks to live panels and immersive demos, the atmosphere encouraged curiosity and collaboration.

“Lots of people, lots of chatter, lots of fun activities... it’s just a really fun environment that allows that innovation and creativity.” – Tracy Hands, Client Services Director

Diversity, inclusion, and social impact in action

Rullion’s presence wasn’t limited to youth workshops. Team members also took part in the Women in STEM event, celebrating representation and allyship in the utilities sector.

"There’s a real pursuit of equality here. It’s about empowering everyone to be the best version of themselves." — Emma Martinez, Client Solutions Manager

The festival had a unique energy. It offered hands-on sprints, real-world challenges, and insightful talks. Young people, clients, and partners shared ideas, built relationships, and worked toward a common goal. They imagined a better, more sustainable future for water.

"I absolutely love coming to this event. I remember driving home last year and feeling like my soul had been filled up." — Sinead Scott, Client Services Manager

Spotlight: Building a more inclusive utilities workforce

The utilities sector is undergoing rapid transformation. It faces growing pressures from climate change, digital disruption, and an ageing workforce. According to a report by Energy & Utility Skills, 277,000 new recruits will be needed by 2029 to fill skills gaps across the UK’s energy and water infrastructure (source).

In this environment, engaging early talent isn’t optional – it’s essential. Events like the NWG Innovation Festival help address these challenges head-on.

Rullion’s participation shows what’s possible when recruitment goes beyond filling roles. It becomes a driver for:

Future-ready skill development
Inclusive hiring pathways
Social mobility and confidence-building
Strategic workforce sustainability

Why collaboration fuels innovation

The festival’s sprint methodology mirrors approaches pioneered by Google Ventures, using time-boxed design sessions to solve complex problems. It works.

"It’s all about people. Everyone's pulling in the same direction, focused on making things better." — Emma Martinez, Client Solutions Manager

In Rullion’s work supporting digital transformation in utilities, we see the same pattern. When clients, partners, and communities come together, challenges turn into ideas. Ideas turn into impact.

Learn more about our Managed Service Programme (MSP) designed specifically for the utilities sector.

Driving digital transformation in water

Digital innovation is reshaping the utilities sector. And water companies like Northumbrian Water are leading the way. From data-led asset management to AI-powered leak detection, they’re investing in technology to increase efficiency, resilience, and customer experience.

One key area of focus has been the use of digital twins – virtual models of physical infrastructure – to improve planning and maintenance. These models help reduce service disruptions and prioritise investment where it’s needed most.

Another priority is cloud migration. Northumbrian Water has made strong progress moving its core systems to cloud-based platforms, enabling better data sharing, faster analytics, and more flexible working environments.

These changes don’t happen in isolation. They rely on skilled digital talent, from developers and engineers to data analysts and cybersecurity experts.

Rullion’s MSP delivery helps support these goals by sourcing and managing high-calibre digital contractors across Northumbrian Water’s sites. Since January 2025, we’ve delivered:

Cloud and DevOps professionals
Cybersecurity consultants
Data analysts and scientists
SAP and ERP specialists

As utilities become more tech-led, digital transformation in water will depend on recruitment that’s agile, strategic, and values-driven.

The value of early careers initiatives

According to the Learning & Work Institute, employer engagement in early careers significantly improves long-term employment outcomes for young people (source).

And it's not just about future employees, it benefits businesses too:

Builds a stronger talent pipeline

Supports diversity and social value metrics

Boosts employer brand and stakeholder relationships

That’s why Rullion offers services like Train to Deploy, which help clients close skills gaps through customised early-career pathways.

Making the case for social value in recruitment

Clients across the utilities sector are increasingly expected to deliver measurable social value as part of their projects. This means community investment, inclusive hiring, and long-term legacy planning.

The NWG Innovation Festival helps put these principles into practice. It connects suppliers and partners with real people – the future workforce – and gives them a chance to make an immediate, visible difference.

This kind of engagement isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s quickly becoming a commercial requirement, especially for those bidding on regulated frameworks or public sector contracts.

Social value can be embedded through recruitment when agencies:

Run local employability or mentoring workshops
Help employers diversify their pipelines
Track and report outcomes tied to education or skills development

Rullion has experience delivering this within MSP and direct delivery models. Learn how our Utilities sector services embed social value into workforce planning.

From ideas to action: What’s next?

The impact of the Innovation Festival goes beyond one week. It adds to a longer-term movement across the water and utilities jobs market. A movement towards smarter, more inclusive, and more collaborative workforce solutions.

If you're looking to:

Strengthen your pipeline of future-ready talent

Improve inclusion in utilities recruitment

Connect your business with next-gen thinkers

Get work done

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