The government is to invest £33m to help energy and utility companies tackle the skills crisis in the sector.

The Energy and Efficiency Industrial Partnership aims to strengthen the UK’s energy and utility workforce over the next three years by delivering around 70,000 new learning opportunities through apprenticeships and traineeships, as well as funding more training to enable the industry to recruit talent.

According to the government, around 50% of current employees in the sector are set to leave by 2023, with 200,000 new recruits needed within this timeframe. The partnership will therefore work with 67 employers in the energy and utility industry to address skills and recruitment issues, with the employers match funding the government’s £33m investment.

The initiative is being supported by Energy & Utility Skills, the National Skills Academy for Power, and employers including National Grid, British Gas, E.ON UK, Thames Water and United Utilities.

Steve Holliday, chair of the partnership and chief executive of National Grid, said that the government’s investment shows it recognises the challenges facing the UK’s energy and utilities sectors.

“The strength and scale of this partnership means it will build consensus within these industries on how to meet the demand for new, innovative power and energy solutions, and build a more secure, sustainable economy for the future.”

Sally Cabrini, business services director at United Utilities, added that this collaboration will “improve awareness of what we do and grow the pool of young talent in our sector”.

The partnership is the largest scheme within the government’s flagship Employer Ownership of Skills pilot, which provides investment to develop workforces in certain sectors and give employers flexibility in how publicly-funded training is created and delivered.