Executive Search

From Scarcity to Abundance: Unlocking Talent in Critical Infrastructure

John Shepherd, Client Services Director at Rullion, recently sat down with Lindsay Harrison, Rullion’s Chief Customer Officer and Chair for Engineering Recruitment at APSCo UK, to examine why the skills shortage story in energy industry recruitment agencies and engineering needs to change. Their conversation explored how an abundance mindset, grounded in inclusion, transferable skills and smarter workforce strategies, can help critical infrastructure employers unlock hidden talent pools and build the capability needed for the decade ahead. Energy consumption overall is declining while electricity demand is surging. Electric vehicles, heat pumps, AI and data centres are driving a projected 50% rise in demand by 2035. The shift is powered by Net Zero goals, energy security and rapid technology adoption. The pull is so strong that firms like Microsoft and Google are investing directly in the Energy sector. “This isn’t something coming down the road,” John explains. “We’re in it right now.” The energy transition could create nearly three quarters of a million green jobs in the UK by 2030. The Nuclear Industry Association’s jobs map shows civil nuclear roles rising from 64,000 to 87,000 in three years. The Financial Times reports green jobs up 36% since 2015. These are not abstract statistics. They reflect projects Rullion supports, from Hinkley Point C to Sizewell C. If those roles are being filled, talent exists. The challenge is access. The Challenge with the Scarcity Narrative Negative headlines dominate LinkedIn, trade journals, and national news. “Skills shortage” grabs attention, stirs emotion, and generates clicks. But, as John points out: “News is designed to be bad and negative. It grabs attention. It stirs up emotion. It’s clickbait. That scarcity narrative is stifling opportunity.” The reality is that the UK energy recruitment market is growing. The bigger challenge isn’t the absence of talent; it’s the barriers we’ve created that stop it flowing into the right roles. Lindsay adds a customer lens. Clients tell her they cannot find people, yet the real issue is how talent is defined, where it is sought and how candidates experience the journey. Reframing those inputs unlocks supply. Challenge 1: Rigid Job Specifications Overly prescriptive job specs, especially those demanding exact, like-for-like industry experience, instantly narrow the search and shut out skilled candidates. In critical infrastructure, where delivery deadlines are tight and skill demands shift quickly, this rigidity can slow projects and drive-up costs. Some qualifications are non-negotiable, but industry-specific experience isn’t always essential. As John points out: “Great engineers from aerospace, defence, and construction can bring huge value. They’re problem solvers, safety-minded, and used to working in complex, regulated environments.” These sectors operate under stringent compliance requirements, manage high-risk projects, and demand the same precision and safety culture as energy sector roles. Overlooking these candidates because they haven’t “done it here before” means missing out on proven capability. Challenge 2: Candidate Experience Barriers The process shapes outcomes. If interviews lack inclusion, feedback is unclear or applications are hard to complete, strong candidates step away before shortlist. The effect is even sharper for underrepresented groups. This is a priority area for Lindsay. “Every interaction matters,” she says. “From the language in a job description to who is on the panel, the experience tells candidates whether they belong. If it does not feel inclusive, great people disengage before they can show what they can do.” Treating candidates as customers improves conversion and strengthens reputation across Energy recruitment communities. Challenge 3: Overlooked Talent Pools Veterans. Neurodiverse professionals. Returning parents. Mid-career switchers. These people bring the mindset and capabilities to excel in critical infrastructure, yet traditional screening often filters them out. “They’re all here,” John says. “They’re all skilled. They’re all ready. But in many cases, they’re being overlooked because of outdated systems, processes, and mindsets.” CV gaps, career changes and non-linear paths are interpreted as risk instead of potential. Lindsay argues for evidence over assumptions and points to lived examples. Challenge 4: Shared Responsibility The responsibility for change doesn’t sit solely with recruiters. Hiring managers, in-house talent teams, and recruitment partners all play a role in broadening searches and challenging old habits. As Lindsay puts it: “It’s not one-sided. We all need to look wider than we have in the past.” This means collaboration at every stage. From shaping job specs and identifying transferable skills, to designing inclusive selection processes that open the gates rather than narrowing them. Four Solutions for an Abundant Workforce 1. Change the Mindset Scarcity talk grows the problem. John’s advice is simple: ask better questions. Where else can we look, what is truly essential, what can be trained and how do we widen the gate without compromising safety or quality? “If we keep saying we can’t find talent, the problem will only get bigger,” John warns. 2. Open the Gates with Inclusive Hiring By rethinking job specs, reducing unnecessary barriers, and designing inclusive selection processes, employers can attract a wider range of applicants, and benefit from the innovation and resilience that come with diversity. Lindsay champions consistent feedback loops so candidates feel respected even when the answer is no. That reputation compounds over time. 3. Build Talent, Don’t Just Buy It Rullion’s Train to Deploy model converts abundance into delivery. Identify high-potential people on behaviours and learning agility, upskill them with project-specific training and deploy them into roles that add value from day one. As part of our broader Train to Deploy Strategy, this helps Energy sector employers build internal capability instead of competing for a shrinking external pool. The result is faster readiness, better retention and teams formed around real work rather than perfect CVs. 4. Tell the Positive Stories Stories shift markets. Case studies of hires from non-traditional backgrounds show what good looks like and attract more of it. “The more we talk positively, the more people will listen,” John says. “The more people who listen will be drawn to this sector, and then you gain momentum.” Lindsay’s view is practical: publish the wins, spotlight the teams and make success visible so others follow. See Rosie’s story from rail contracting, where flexibility and neurodiversity became advantages rather than obstacles: Rosie on rail contracting, flexibility and neurodiversity A Call to the Sector The UK’s energy and wider growth in critical infrastructure create one of the largest workforce shifts in decades. Leaders who move from scarcity to abundance will stop competing for the same small pool and start creating a broader, sustainable pipeline. Lindsay sums it up: “If we want a workforce that can deliver the future, we must open the gate to people with potential, not only those who tick every box.” John’s line completes the thought that talent isn’t scarce. Opportunity is gate. “Our job is to open the gates.” Watch the full interview here: https://youtu.be/8bwXFDm2-NE

Building a Business Case for a Train to Deploy Workforce Strategy

What is a Train to Deploy Workforce Strategy? Train to Deploy is a scalable, future-focused workforce solution. It replaces legacy recruitment with a sustainable approach that combines behaviour-first hiring with bespoke, role-specific training, enabling you to deploy work-ready people aligned with your business from day one. Here’s how to position a Train to Deploy workforce strategy as the strategic answer your business needs now. Step 1: Define the Problem Clearly Before you pitch a solution, your first job is to make the cost of doing nothing impossible to ignore. Here are 5 signs your workforce needs a Train to Deploy strategy to get you started. Use hard data to show where your current hiring model is falling short and what that’s costing you. Start by asking questions your leaders will care about: Skills gaps Are the same roles being readvertised month after month? Are niche capabilities slowing or stalling project delivery? Is critical knowledge walking out the door as retirements rise? Project risk Are high vacancy rates impacting timelines and team cohesion? Do long onboarding periods stall delivery and productivity? Can your team scale quickly enough for upcoming project peaks? If time-to-hire is 45+ days and onboarding takes another 30+ days, how much delivery time are you losing? Diversity gaps Are legacy hiring filters limiting access to diverse, high-potential candidates? Are you falling short on DEI or ESG bid requirements in public sector or regulated tenders? Do you lack scalable, measurable programmes to attract, develop, and retain under-represented talent? Step 2: Quantify the Cost of Inaction Your goal is to then articulate the long-term risks of continuing with business as usual. To get stakeholder buy-in, you need to frame the commercial impact of inaction. Make sure you define both direct costs and knock-on consequences of not addressing your current approach. Recruitment costs Add up your full cost per hire: agency fees, internal resource time, readvertising, interview panels, onboarding, and early attrition. The average cost per hire in the UK is £3,000–£5,000. For 30 hires per year, that’s £90K - £150K before you account for the cost of replacing those who leave early. Then factor in: First-year attrition Contractor spend to plug gaps Time-to-productivity lag with ramp-up times resulting in value not being delivered Productivity loss and project delays Every week a role remains unfilled, you lose delivery hours. Every month a new hire is onboarding, and your project velocity drops. Delayed milestones = missed SLAs or penalty clauses Lost momentum = increased risk of burnout in stretched teams Lower team efficiency = knock-on delays in other workstreams Even a 10-day hiring delay across 5 projects can equate to hundreds of lost delivery hours or tens of thousands in opportunity cost. Missed ESG & social value metrics For public sector frameworks and many regulated sectors, bids require proof of community investment and inclusive hiring. If you’re failing to demonstrate social value or provide measurable DEI outcomes, you could be missing out on commercial opportunities. Step 3: Train to Deploy Proposition Once you’ve demonstrated the cost of inaction, you’ll need to demonstrate how a Train to Deploy workforce strategy can address the real problem. Your workforce model no longer fits today’s reality. Behaviour-first sourcing Instead of relying on CVs and past job titles, Train to Deploy starts with what really matters: mindset, adaptability, learning agility, and culture fit. How it solves the problem: Increases retention by hiring based on long-term fit; when people align with your values and environment from day one, they’re more likely to stay long term. Helps de-risk hiring by aligning people to your ways of working before they start TTD solutions remove traditional hiring barriers, opening doors to all those able to demonstrate the right behaviours and potential, regardless of their background or circumstances. We call this “inclusion without limits”: if someone has the right behaviours, we build the skillset. Bespoke, role-aligned training A Train to Deploy programme delivers tailored technical development, embedding the systems, standards, and compliance frameworks your teams use day-to-day. How it solves the problem: It simplifies procurement with one contract and one partner, with complete visibility. Shortens onboarding time as readiness is built into the training Increases long-term capability with all hires being trained to the same standards and expectations as your existing teams. Meaning less need for post-hire correction, shadowing, or retraining. New hires start work with the right frameworks, protocols, and requirements, improving compliance and operational risk. We co-design the training with you and act as a conduit between your business and training providers while managing the heavy lifting of sourcing, screening, training, deployment, and mentoring. Deploying work-ready talent After training, talent is deployed directly into your team, already aligned with your culture, systems, and technical needs. The transition is seamless because we’ve already embedded your systems, culture, and team dynamics into their preparation. We also offer mentoring and coaching during deployment to support success. The benefits: Enables faster productivity and better collaboration Builds confidence and cohesion in high-stakes environments Supports smoother team integration and day-one impact Scalable, predictable talent pipelines With TTD, rather than reacting to workforce gaps, you’re building capability in anticipation of future need. Whether for seasonal peaks, project launches, or expansion into new capabilities, you can scale talent development in line with strategic goals. The benefits: Reduces contractor reliance by developing permanent, aligned talent Smooths hiring cycles with a predictable, flexible pipeline Helps you respond faster to new project requirements or capability shifts Step 4: Anticipate Stakeholder Priorities Your case needs to work across commercial, operational, and organisational priorities. Read our quick rundown of the ROI of building talent internally. Here’s how to tailor your message to what matters most to each stakeholder: Finance Long-term cost avoidance with fewer agency fees, less attrition/higher retention, fewer cycles of rehiring, and reduced onboarding lag Reduced dependency on costly contractors with internal pipeline Long-term cost predictability and spend control through a single all-in solution “We can reduce agency costs by 30–50% and improve first-year retention by 40% with a Train to Deploy workforce strategy.” Procurement Ability to consolidate vendor management with one trusted supplier managing sourcing, training, and deployment Alignment with existing workforce, training frameworks, and compliance with industry and safety regulations Commercial flexibility to scale up or down based on needs Operations Highlight reduced time-to-productivity and onboarding lag with bespoke training embedding tools and systems into learning Readiness in safety-critical and regulated environments through training Demonstrate retaining institutional knowledge through structured training, shadowing, and handovers Highlight reduced dependency on external contractors with an aligned, trained internal pipeline CSR / DEI Leads Inclusion with real impact on career switchers, returners, veterans, and under-represented communities Measurable progress on social value targets through inclusive pathways Position TTD as truly inclusive hiring. Rullion’s model focuses on “inclusion without limits”; the door is open to all those who have the right behaviours and potential. Step 5: Building a Clear Case for Change Reframe the narrative from patching your hiring process to building capability for the future. This can help shift the conversation from “Why would we?” to “Why wouldn’t we?” Current Approach Train to Deploy Plugging gaps Building long-term capability Spending reactively Investing in readiness Chasing CVs Developing aligned, inclusive talent Onboarding after hiring Delivery work-ready teams from day one

Delivering AMP8: Solving the Water Sector’s Talent Challenge

AMP8 brings the most ambitious expectations ever placed on the UK water industry: Reduce pollution and storm overflows Deliver measurable progress toward Net Zero Improve affordability and customer service Embrace digital tools and smart infrastructure Integrate nature-based and resilient solutions Each of these priorities demands a workforce that is capable, motivated, and equipped to deliver - across both permanent and contingent roles. Without the right talent strategy, investment targets and project outcomes risk falling short. A New Era of Complexity, Accountability and Innovation The challenges of AMP8 go far beyond technical delivery. Utilities face rising customer expectations, increased regulatory scrutiny, and a competitive talent market that extends well beyond the sector. Digital transformation is accelerating across the utilities sector. This acceleration and pressure to transform is having an unavoidable impact on water companies and their ability to effectively resource projects as the skills needed to support are in short supply. The sector’s long-term resilience will depend on how well organisations can adapt their workforce strategies now - before skills shortages become critical roadblocks. The Three Major Issues For all its ambition, the water sector enters AMP8 with a growing talent gap. Existing workforce strategies are under pressure and in many cases, outdated. 1. An Ageing Workforce Almost a third of the industry’s workforce is nearing retirement. Without effective knowledge transfer and succession planning, utilities face the loss of decades of technical expertise and operational experience - skills that can’t be replaced overnight. Rullion helps water companies tackle this challenge head-on by: Embedding succession planning into workforce strategies so knowledge is retained, not lost. Combining behaviour-first hiring with mentoring programmes to bring in early-career talent who can learn directly from experienced professionals before they retire. Using our Managed Service Programme (MSP) to track skills data across the contingent workforce, identifying potential gaps years in advance and planning resourcing accordingly. This approach not only preserves institutional knowledge but ensures organisations are continuously building capability for the future, rather than reacting after critical skills have already walked out the door. 2. Digital and Delivery Skills Gaps The digitalisation of asset management, data analytics, and cyber-secure operations is outpacing current talent pipelines. The result? Skills gaps in key areas like project delivery, engineering, and smart infrastructure implementation - all of which are essential for AMP8 success. Rullion bridges these gaps by: Partnering with clients to map emerging skills needs linked to AMP8’s digital and transformation goals. Using our Train to Deploy model to upskill candidates into roles such as data engineers, SCADA specialists, and digital project managers. Taking a sector-agnostic view of talent by identifying people from other industries (e.g., energy, manufacturing, defence) with transferable digital skills and preparing them for water-sector delivery. Leveraging our MSP for utilities to ensure project-critical roles are filled quickly without compromising on quality or compliance. By combining proactive workforce planning with targeted skills creation, we help utilities keep pace with digital transformation, rather than playing catch-up. 3. Competing for Scarce Talent The water industry is no longer competing solely with other utilities. Water companies are now recruiting in the same pool as energy, renewables, and tech; sectors which often offer more competitive packages. To succeed water companies must rethink what makes their workforce strategy competitive, sustainable, and future-ready. And ultimately what differentiates them as an employer of choice. Right now, most of the conversation focuses on what the sector lacks - an ongoing shortage of engineering, project delivery, and digital skills. But what if we reframed the challenge? Across the UK, there is an abundance of people with the right behaviours, values, and potential to thrive in these roles. The opportunity lies in unlocking that potential through targeted training and development. That’s why forward-thinking utilities are starting to invest in models like Train to Deploy, which create the skills needed for AMP8 rather than competing endlessly for a limited external talent pool. Rethinking Workforce Strategy for AMP8 Meeting the challenges of AMP8 requires more than reactive hiring. It calls for strategic, agile workforce solutions that can scale with demand, address niche skills gaps, and embed diversity and inclusion from the outset. At Rullion, we help water and utilities organisations transition from short-term resourcing to sustainable workforce transformation. 1. Scalable MSP Solutions for Utilities Our Managed Service Programme (msp) model provides: Greater visibility and control over contingent workforce spend Reduced time-to-hire across critical roles Optimised supplier performance Seamless compliance and risk mitigation Talent data and planning aligned to AMP8 milestones Our partnership with Northumbrian Water Group demonstrates what this looks like in practice - rapid mobilisation, robust governance, and a collaborative approach that puts people at the centre. Explore the full case study to see how Rullion helped NWG mobilise a fully embedded workforce solution in under four weeks. 2. Train to Deploy: Building Skills, Not Just Hiring Them Where talent is scarce, our Train to Deploy solution helps organisations develop it. We can identify high-potential candidates through behaviour-first hiring, train them in the technical skills required for AMP8, and deploy them into critical roles. Benefits include: Behaviour-first hiring based on mindset and potential Customised training aligned to technical and regulatory needs More inclusive and diverse talent pipelines Stronger long-term retention and team capability This approach enables utilities to future-proof their workforce by building capability from within, rather than relying solely on an increasingly competitive external market. It’s a smarter way to build the talent you need and avoid just search endlessly for it. “Train to Deploy helps water companies move from reactive hiring to proactive workforce planning by building pipelines of talent designed around AMP8’s critical roles, operational teams, and long-term sector goals.” – Dan Crerand, Train to Deploy Director From Filling Roles to Building Readiness AMP8 is about more than delivering projects. It’s an opportunity to rethink how the water sector builds, supports, and develops its workforce for the long term. While filling vacancies will always be part of the picture, the organisations that will thrive are those that plan, create talent pipelines, and adapt their strategies as the sector evolves. Readiness means having the right people in place at the right time - not by chance, but through careful planning, investment in skills, and a commitment to developing talent from within. It’s about recognising the abundance of skills that already exists and finding new ways to unlock potential through training, reskilling, and inclusive hiring. At Rullion, we work alongside major UK water companies to put these principles into practice; delivering workforce solutions for utilities that are agile, scalable, and designed to support both immediate goals and long-term ambitions. With the right approach, AMP8 can set the foundations for a more capable, adaptable, and future-ready sector.