Competency Frameworks for Energy and Utilities: A Practical Implementation Guide

Preparing your energy and utilities workforce for the future can be difficult to align with the demands of a fast-evolving sector. That's why a competency framework is so important in helping you identify the critical skills your team needs to meet decarbonisation goals, embrace digital innovations, and respond to regulatory changes efficiently.

1. What is a Competency Framework?

1.1 Definition and Importance

A competency framework is a structured guide detailing the skills, knowledge, and behaviours employees need to excel in their roles. In energy and utilities, this is essential for aligning workforce capabilities with net-zero targets, sustainability initiatives, and the adoption of emerging technologies such as smart grids, renewable energy, and hydrogen projects.

Key benefits include:

• Filling the Energy Skills Gap: Ensures employees possess the expertise to meet both current operational and future goals.

• Performance Enhancement: Focuses training where it’s needed most, from offshore wind maintenance to energy storage management.

• Strategic Development: Supports career pathways that align with organisational sustainability objectives and net-zero commitments.

1.2 Benefits for the Energy and Utilities Sector

As you know, the sector is undergoing rapid transformation; competency frameworks can help organisations keep up by providing the structure necessary to:

• Enhance Agility: Quickly adapt to regulatory updates, net-zero legislation, and new energy technologies.

• Support Employee Retention: Create clear development pathways tied to sustainability and technological advancement.

• Ensure Compliance: Meet legal and ethical standards around safety, environmental protection, and carbon reduction.

For more general, sector agnostic advice on how to build an effective competency framework, check out our blog.

2. Developing a Competency Framework for Energy and Utilities

2.1 Defining Your Competencies

Defining your competencies will likely be a lengthy process, depending on the size of your organisation. Good places to start include:

1. Industry Research: Take learnings from energy transition roadmaps, regulatory requirements, and technology trends.

2. Job Analysis: Identify future role requirements, especially for decarbonisation projects.

3. Expert Consultation: Collaborate with industry leaders, engineers, and sustainability officers. Consider joining industry bodies such as Energy and Utility Skills.

4. Talk to Your Workforce: Involve engineers, operations teams, and sustainability specialists to see which competencies are crucial to your specific company.

Stakeholder involvement is so vital when developing your competency framework. Make sure to involve:

• Workshops: Bring together HR, operations, sustainability, and technical teams to define key competencies.

• Feedback Loops: Ensure ongoing adjustments based on operational needs and industry developments.

• External Expertise: Consultants familiar with energy transitions and net-zero standards can provide valuable insights.

2.2 Structuring Core Competencies

Core competencies should reflect the sector’s evolving demands. Consider including:

• Core Competencies: Foundational skills like safety compliance, operational efficiency, and regulatory knowledge.

• Role-specific Competencies: Advanced technical expertise, e.g., offshore wind turbine servicing, grid digitalisation, or carbon accounting.

• Behavioural Competencies: Problem-solving, adaptability, and collaboration - crucial for cross-disciplinary projects.

• Technical Competencies: Industry-specific skills such as renewable energy integration, energy efficiency auditing, or emissions reporting.

For more information on sector skills, see the 2025 skills dictionary issued by the Energy and Utilities Sector Skills Council.

2.3 Tailoring to Upskilling Requirements

To future-proof your workforce, it’s essential to tailor the competency framework around upskilling needs. This involves identifying the evolving skills required to meet net-zero targets, adopt new energy technologies, and comply with regulatory changes. For example, technicians may need training in renewable energy systems or battery storage, while project managers might require expertise in sustainability reporting and green infrastructure projects.

Steps to tailor for upskilling:

• Skills Gap Analysis: Use performance data and industry benchmarks to pinpoint areas where additional training is needed.

• Role-Specific Learning Paths: Design customised upskilling programs for different roles, from field operators to engineers and sustainability officers.

• Continuous Learning: Incorporate iterative training programs that evolve alongside emerging technologies, decarbonisation initiatives, and regulatory updates.

3. Implementing the Competency Framework Successfully

3.1 Practical Steps for Rolling Out a Framework

Successfully embedding a competency framework takes careful planning. Start with a clear communication strategy:

• Share the purpose and advantages of the framework with stakeholders.

• Use a mix of channels - emails, workshops, and team briefings - to ensure consistent understanding across teams.

• Nominate “competency ambassadors” within departments to champion adoption and answer questions.

After communication is established, work on weaving the framework into core HR processes:

• Recruitment: Redesign job descriptions around the defined competencies and provide structured interview guides for hiring teams, centred around your new competencies.

• Performance Reviews: Equip managers to evaluate staff against the competencies, making development discussions more focused.

• Onboarding: Ensure new hires are introduced to the competencies from day one so expectations are clear.

• Harnessing technology: Adopting new technologies allows you to integrate structure easily into your TA and HR function. For example, Evidenced allows you to make hiring policy changes in a single click, so your competency framework can be instantly delivered company-wide.

Pro-tip: Pilot the framework within a single department or team before rolling it out to the whole company. This helps spot challenges early and refine the approach.

3.2 Tracking the Results on Hiring and Performance

To demonstrate the value of a competency framework, you need to measure its outcomes with clear metrics. Consider KPIs such as:

• Employee performance scores, to track whether staff are meeting the required competency standards post-implementation.

• Retention and progression rates, which indicate whether employees see clear career pathways linked to competencies.

• Training effectiveness, measured by the percentage of employees who successfully close identified skills gaps through upskilling initiatives.

Gather evidence through surveys, appraisals, and recruitment data to understand how well the framework is embedded into everyday operations.

3.3 Keeping the Framework Current

A competency framework should evolve with the business - it’s a living system, not a static tool. Build in an annual review process that brings together key stakeholders to consider:

• Adjustments to company strategy that may call for new or updated competencies.

• Input from employees and managers on how practical and relevant the framework feels.

• External changes, such as new regulations or technologies, that introduce fresh skill requirements.

It’s also important to review whether the technology you use supports the framework’s aims. Platforms like Evidenced help track whether competencies are being fairly and consistently assessed during recruitment, highlighting strengths and blind spots.

A well-implemented competency framework in the energy and utilities sector not only maps current skills but also prepares the workforce for the energy transition, net-zero compliance, and technological innovation. Remember that leveraging platforms like Evidenced can ensure structured implementation and continuous monitoring of your competency framework - paving the way for sustainable growth and operational excellence.

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