Launch of the Diverse Heat Network

We are incredibly proud to engage in this wonderful initiative where all parties benefit a great deal while ensuring we reach younger people with our fantastic talent and diversity of jobs.

The DHN is a collective of organisations with a shared ambition to enable change within our sector through partnership and collaboration.

We want to enable change by:  

  • Sharing best practice with each other and the wider sector
  • Develop resources together that we all benefit from 
  • Collaborating with similar networks and bridge partnerships  
  • Identifying initiatives that we can all engage with 
  • Collectively organising and attending events which are relevant and meaningful to accelerate change 
  • Supporting the industry to deliver on the principles of the Heat network Diversity and Inclusion Charter, including leading on collective initiatives, sharing best practice and monitoring and reporting on the industry performance. 
  • Working to ensure that growth of the sector has diversity and inclusion at its core.  
  • Attracting more diverse talent into the sector through our activities and initiatives  

The DHN is for everyone. We want to encourage everyone we speak with to join our initiative and help us drive change.  

We need to attract a diverse workforce into the sector which is representative of society and reflects a diversity of skills, experiences and perspectives. A workforce that fills the skills gaps to ensure the heat network and energy industry will have the necessary expertise, training and experience to deliver the UK’s transition to net zero.

Through our activities and initiatives, we want to enable change and inspire and influence the wider heat network, energy industry, our partners and supply chain to accelerate change.

The Diverse Heat Network

This growth of low carbon heat networks and the transition to net zero heating will require a skilled workforce, specialised in the installation, operation and maintenance of low carbon heat generation, systems, and networks. The Diverse Heat Network wants to encourage collaboration, share best practice and learn from and with each other to collectively develop impactful resources which we can all benefit from.

Noah Nkonge, Head of Partnerships said: "The DHN is about going beyond ourselves and actively working with other organisations in our industry to address equity, diversity and inclusion which ultimately impacts across the whole of society."

Noah Nkonge
The DHN is about going beyond ourselves and actively working with other organisations in our industry to address equity, diversity and inclusion which ultimately impacts across the whole of society.

Bindi Patel, Head of Customer Experience said: “The DHN is about action to achieve visible and meaningful change. Organisations that attract and retain a diverse and representative workforce succeed. The heat network sector is at an inflection point where market growth is creating thousands to new jobs. Our sector will only succeed by attracting talent that is truly representative of the communities we serve. This is about going beyond tick boxes. It’s about real transformation where inclusivity is the culture.”

Bindi Patel
Our sector will only succeed by attracting talent that is truly representative of the communities we serve.

Mike Reynolds, Managing Director of Vattenfall Heat UK said: "The Diverse Heat Network is an important initiative which will drive impactful change within our sector and beyond. Through collaboration, sharing best practice, and bringing changemakers together, we can accelerate our sector more effectively than as individual organisations.

I am so proud to be a part of that with our peers in industry and recognise the important role senior leaders play in enabling change through taking action and empowering their staff. By no means are we perfect and part of the reason we founded the Diverse Heat Network was because we think leadership is about stepping up and being visible. We hope the Diverse Heat Network is the start of an exciting journey to a more inclusive and representative sector better able to serve our customers."

We hope the Diverse Heat Network is the start of an exciting journey to a more inclusive and representative sector better able to serve our customers.

 

 

See also

Mithila Nanda

More diversity is needed in STEM industries if the UK is to reach its net zero targets

Mithila Nanda, Engineering Manager at Vattenfall UK, shares her thoughts on how diversity in STEM is critical to realise successful heat networks and reach net zero – filling skills ga...

Read the full article
Selene Molina Blanco

The role of water-source heat pumps in heat networks

Selene Molina Blanco, Head of Engineering in our Bristol office, explains the role of water-source heat pumps in Bristol’s heat network and how the technology works to bring low carbon...

Read the full article
Paul Steen

“Heat network projects present lifelong career opportunities”, Paul Steen tells the Scotsman

Our Head of Business Development (North) has written an insightful article for The Scotsman, addressing the critical need to bridge the skills gap to achieve net zero in Scotland. 

Read the full article