Celebrating the Playmakers Powering Britain’s Energy Transition
It was a real privilege to join 180 E.ON UK colleagues and apprentices in Nottingham for this year’s Apprenticeship Awards in National Apprenticeship Week. It was a powerful reminder of what happens when a business commits wholeheartedly to growing its own talent and to backing people at every stage of their journey.
What stood out for me was hearing directly from apprentices across very different parts of the organisation. From project management to control systems engineering, from accountancy & taxation roles to electro-mechanical engineering, each spoke about their experience at E.ON - the training they receive, the mentors who guide them, the teams that back them and, crucially, the belief that they are trusted to contribute to something bigger than themselves.
Having introduced the Apprenticeship Levy during my time as Education Secretary, it is always incredibly rewarding to see the impact of that policy in action. Apprenticeships are one of the most powerful enablers of social mobility, opening doors to people whose talent might otherwise go untapped and allowing individuals to earn while they learn, gain practical experience and build confidence alongside qualifications.
When we designed the Levy within Government, the ambition was simple: we wanted more employers to invest seriously in skills and to create structured pathways into good careers. What I saw at E.ON was essentially a “skills ecosystem” that has been built over time, matured and is now flourishing, empowering the company to transform opportunity at pace.
Throughout the afternoon, we celebrated “playmakers” across the business - colleagues who are either progressing on their own apprenticeship pathway or championing others as mentors, partners and advocates. The presence of E.ON’s Chief Executive Officer, Chris Norbury, and its Chief People Officer, Helen Bradbury, alongside members of the Board and fellow guest speaker, Toby Perkins MP, a long-standing champion of skills and apprenticeships, underlined how seriously this work is taken at every level of leadership both within the business and outside by policymakers.
Speaking to E.ON colleagues, I highlighted three of the sub-skills that sit within E.ON’s Future Skills Framework - self-awareness, customer orientation and a sustainability mindset – and how they framed my own career.
I learnt during my time in politics, and especially as a new MP, self-awareness is not about being self-conscious it’s about stepping back and reflecting on a role, identifying your strengths as well as gaps in your knowledge and experience and understanding your own style while respecting that of others. I can see that culture of reflection in action amongst E.ON apprentices who are encouraged to think about their roles and how they can best be supported, laying the foundations for long-term success for individuals and organisations.
The second theme was customer orientation. For many years, I held weekly constituency surgeries where people from different backgrounds and communities would tell me about their lives. It taught me that you never really know someone until you have taken the time to really listen to them. For a company like E.ON, working with households and communities across the country, that lesson is critical. The clean energy transition is not an abstract policy debate. Whether supporting a family to install a smart meter or guiding a business through renewable upgrades, success depends on understanding real people, their aspirations and their concerns. That human approach is essential in navigating the path to clean energy.
Finally, I spoke about the sustainability mindset. We are living through a once-in-a-generation transformation of our energy system. There will only be one generation that drives the transition to clean energy at scale. Colleagues and apprentices at E.ON are part of that, not simply witnessing history but making it. The skills they build, the systems they refine and the trust they earn with customers will shape Britain for decades to come.
It was a particular honour to present the Skills Playmaker of the Year award which demonstrates that this celebration isn’t just about individual progression but about building collective capability. All shortlisted colleagues across the award were incredibly impressive.
By taking the time to recognise these individuals and teams, E.ON’s leadership is sending a powerful message about what is valued. In busy organisations, a focus only on targets and outputs is of course importance, but success is unlocked by investing in people too.
Apprenticeships change lives.
They strengthen businesses. And, at moments like this, they remind us that the transition to a cleaner, fairer economy will be delivered not just by policies in Parliament, but by skilling up people across Britain who choose every day to step up, to learn and to lead.
