The Skills Gap In Water Engineering: Why Technical Training Needs To Be A Priority

By Griff Thomas

The UK’s water sector is at a crucial turning point. It’s facing a situation where there’s increasing pressure due to ageing infrastructure, increasing environmental pressures and tighter regulatory expectations; and this is placing high demand on water systems and the professionals who deliver and maintain them. To add to the pressure surrounding the water sector, there is a widening skills gap in water engineering, which could threaten innovation, service quality, and resilience, unless it’s addressed quickly and strategically. At the heart of this challenge lies the need to advance technical training and continuous professional development and ensure that workforce planning is a top priority throughout the industry.

Water engineering encompasses wastewater treatment, distribution networks, flood defences, and asset management, and all of these are essential to modern society. We’re faced with a situation where there has been decades of underinvestment in training and recruitment, leading to a looming demographic problem with a large proportion of experienced engineers approaching retirement age.

According to research from The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), nearly 50% of the UK water treatment contractor workforce is estimated to be over the age of 50, and only 8% of the workforce is under the age of 24. These older professionals have extensive expertise and knowledge that will be difficult to replace through making up the numbers by recruiting younger professionals. It’s also clear that the pipeline of new entrants to the sector is struggling to keep pace with the ever-evolving demands of a complex industry.

This imminent skills shortage spans multiple levels of water engineering, from frontline technicians who operate and maintain critical assets to mid-career specialists in hydraulics, GIS systems, process optimisation, and digital water management. And many firms in the UK water sector report are finding it particularly difficult to fulfil technical roles — particularly those calling for specialist knowledge or hands-on experience. The shortfall lowers operational efficiency and forces existing staff to handle additional workloads.

Failing to address the skills gap will have material consequences for the water engineering sector. Safety is critical in water infrastructure, and without it, there’s a real risk of increased contamination events, environmental harm, regulatory penalties, and eroding public trust (which is already on the downturn). If water maintenance standards are not upheld, there’s a real risk of compromised water quality and not being able to provide the continuity of essential services.

To add to the mounting challenges, the sector is also in the midst of a digital transformation, which is seeing the rollout of smart sensors, data analytics, predictive maintenance, and automation to improve and revolutionise how water systems are managed. Capable hands are needed to harness these technologies, so we can keep pace with global peers, make gains in efficiency and make inherent changes that will benefit our people and planet. 

To bridge the skills gap, technical training needs to become a strategic priority for employers, policymakers, and educational institutions.

At its most effective, technical training has the potential to deliver on three core outcomes:

1. Foundation competency for essential water engineering skills.
2. Up-to-date capabilities aligned with evolving technologies and regulatory standards.
3. Career progression pathways that retain talent and support lifelong learning.

This structure ensures that training is not a one-off, knee-jerk event but an essential part of a professional’s career lifecycle.

With such a large number of senior water engineers nearing retirement age, organisations have a responsibility to act quickly to transfer critical knowledge to new entrants to the sector and mid-career professionals. This could be done through a strategic approach to mentoring that embeds practical insights into structured learning — either through apprenticeship programmes or pairing experienced professionals with early-career engineers.

Companies operating in the sector can cover all bases by ensuring they put a tailored transition plan in place when an experienced engineer is preparing to retire, mapping key competencies and formalising critical procedures and unwritten knowledge. They can also document everything, roll out job shadowing and cross-functional collaboration to make sure learnings are passed along.

There’s often a mismatch between the skills employers need and those prospective engineers hold when they enter the workforce. Practical, hands-on skills need as much attention as classroom-based learning and academic qualifications. Both are equally important.

Addressing this means adopting skills-based recruitment and development, where technical abilities and potential for growth are prioritised, such as:

• Higher and degree apprenticeships in water and civil engineering.
• Collaborative programmes with colleges and training providers to embed water-specific modules.
• Hands-on internships and placements with water companies.

Each of these offers different entry pathways into the sector and can open a more diverse talent pool and workforce that is switched on to real-world demands from day one.

Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is just as important. The pace of changing technologies, coupled with evolving regulatory frameworks (such as environmental discharge standards and water quality mandates), means that yesterday’s skills may not be adequate for tomorrow’s challenges.

CPD should be woven into performance expectations and treated as a key part of the role. Employers can facilitate this by:

• Allocating dedicated time for annual training.
• Subsidising professional certifications.
• Providing access to in-person courses and online learning platforms.
• Sponsoring attendance at industry conferences and workshops.

These investments show staff that development is important, and their contribution to the workforce is valued, especially in an increasingly competitive labour market.

It’s worth emphasing that CPD encompasses both technical and behavioural training. Modern water engineering roles are becoming more collaborative and data-driven, so training in project management, digital literacy, and cross-disciplinary communication becomes increasingly important.

A coordinated approach is critical when it comes to solving the skills gap, and buy-in from everyone involved is essential.

Employers should develop clear learning frameworks that link training to career progression. They should also partner with educational institutions to ensure that course material and requirements reflect real industry needs.

Government plays a crucial role in incentivising workforce development. This could include targeted funding for apprenticeships, tax incentives for employer-led training, and support for water sector skills councils that forecast future demand and align training accordingly.

Academic institutions must adapt programmes to incorporate emerging competencies, including digital technologies, AI applications in water systems, and sustainability-focused engineering principles. Industry placements and courses can also be designed to ensure graduates are workplace-ready from the get-go.

Collaboration between these sectors would help create a national skills strategy for water engineering that anticipates future needs rather than reacts slowly to shortages.

Ironically, the technologies that can help the water sector become more efficient, such as digital twins, machine learning, and remote monitoring, can also raise the bar for technical skills. To reap the benefits of innovation, organisations must ensure that staff are equipped to operate advanced tools, interpret data, make informed decisions, and innovate with new solutions.

Forward-thinking water companies are already investing in simulation labs, virtual reality training, and blended learning to build digital proficiency, making technical training more engaging and relevant.

The UK water sector’s challenges are not abstract or distant. They are unfolding now, in ageing infrastructure, environmental pressures, and the evolving expectations of regulators and the public.

Bridging the skills gap requires prioritising technical training at every level. It requires moving beyond short-term hiring fixes to build a workforce that is capable, adaptable, and future-ready. Supporting an ageing workforce through knowledge transfer, strengthening recruitment with practical pathways, and embedding continuous professional development will both increase resilience and unlock innovation.

In a sector that underpins public health and environmental protection, investing in people is essential, and technical training is strategically essential for the UK’s water future.

Griff Thomas,Executive is Director of Energy Transition and External Affairs at United Infrastructure and Managing Director at GTEC Training.