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As the largest employer in the South West, at Pennon, we believe at the heart of any great business are the people who work in it. Responsible businesses today have an important role to play – promoting social mobility, addressing inequality and providing secure jobs.

We are doing just that. Our focus is on recruiting, developing and supporting all of our employees, whatever their background, to unlock their potential both now, and for the longer term. I strongly believe that by having a diverse organisation we can better reflect and meet the needs of the communities we serve.

We have made some important progress on becoming a more representative organisation; the proportion of female employees, for example, has increased for the third year running – now 29% of our workforce. We are also one of a handful of top FTSE businesses to have both a female CEO and Chair. However, we recognise there is more to do, and we are actively taking steps to address the diversity split in our organisation. This is not only for existing employees to have the confidence to share their backgrounds, but by also encouraging diversity in our recruitment and attraction programmes.

How organisations attract and retain talent is a key topic at the moment as the latest ONS figures reveal there has been an increase in the employment rate to pre-pandemic levels, with vacancies recently exceeding one million for the first time since records began. Meanwhile, the South West recorded the lowest unemployment rate of the º£½ÇÊÓƵ by region at 3.3%, compared with London at 6%.

This data shows that there is a real pull for employees to the South West and an opportunity as a region to attract the brightest and best talent.

Have you seen our BusinessLive South West Linkedin page? to find out more

However, this must be supported by a fair and inclusive recruitment programme which promotes diversity in the workplace. In 2020, Pennon pledged its support to the CBI Change the Race Ratio initiative, a campaign to increase racial and ethnic participation in the senior leadership of companies, as a route to encouraging more diversity at all levels and was the first water company to do so.

But it is not just about attracting those already within the workforce to our region – an important part of our approach is our commitment to developing new talent. With some of the º£½ÇÊÓƵ’s leading higher education facilities on our doorstep, such the Universities of Exeter and Bristol, we also want to make sure graduates are settling in our region to contribute their knowledge and add value to business.

Alongside a renewed focus on the need to train-up and re-skill a workforce fit for the future, our Green Recovery Initiative includes a plan to create up to 500 new jobs to support the local economy and to develop new green skills.