Innovation and value generation – Why investing in people is always the play

How can you action that belief?

You connect

At Nadara, we intentionally build relationships that place our people at the centre of real innovation. With our industry partners, we codevelop technologies that sharpen the performance, resilience and intelligence of our assets, with the industry we collaborate to find next-gen solutions, and with the education sector, we provide opportunities for PhD students to get industry exposure. All of which enables Nadara’s teams shape tomorrow’s renewables technology.

You encourage

People thrive where they feel safe, respected and valued. That’s why we’re working to create a sustainable environment where individuals can bring their full selves to work. Where they can feel confident in exposing their ideas, trying new approaches, and pushing their abilities. Innovation rarely arrives fully formed, it emerges from curiosity, exploration and the courage to learn from every attempt.

Just as importantly, we continuously remind our teams that they are part of something bigger. Renewable energy touches communities, economies and everyday lives, and our people are contributors to that impact – a big reason why colleagues have two additional paid days each year to volunteer for a cause they believe in.

You enable

Our growth programmes and training courses enable colleagues to develop their skills both individually and as a group, contributing to the sustainable development of Nadara. Online training is available 24/7 and through mentoring and reverse mentoring programmes our people can share their lived experience and learning with each other, helping develop internal networks and unlock our shared potential.

The skills gap – avoiding the fall

Investing in people isn’t only about levelling up - it’s also about ensuring you don’t fall behind. The renewable energy sector faces a significant skills gap that threatens the momentum of the transition itself. The UK alone is short of 200,000 workers, and in Italy the wider renewable chain requires an estimated 800,000 additional workers.

Closing that gap requires companies to widen their lens: to look not just at internal needs, but at how they can help shape the talent pipeline that the whole sector depends on.

Be bold - engage and invite

Nadara hosts contractor open days that introduce local workers to opportunities within the renewable sector. In Puglia, our workshops with Confindustria inform local businesses how they can participate in the growth and diversification of supply chains - more than 60 representatives attended the most recent session.

We also invest in education and exposure. By welcoming PhD researchers, offering educational support to local students, and inviting schoolchildren to experience the power of renewables firsthand, we help build the spark that leads future generations into Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM).

Elevation is a joint responsibility

As an organisation, you can support in-house innovation by elevating the people in - and in-contact with - your business. But for wider impact we need joined-up action with industry and governments - we need to do more together.

Public bodies and governments have made encouraging progress to address the skills gap in renewables through initiatives like the energy skills passport and the European Skills Agenda, and as stakeholders in the sector, our collective ability to meet net zero depends on how we collectively engage not only the current but the next generation of thinkers, doers and leaders.

At Nadara, we’ll continue to invest centred around a core belief: we can close the skills gap while unlocking the next wave of ideas. In our teams, our communities, and our collaborations, from our doctoral networks, to the daily contributions of our colleagues, investment in people returns more empowered professionals, a more efficient transition, and the opportunity to shift our organisation from a pure consumer of innovations to a creator of next-gen solutions.