A former apprentice has been appointed head of London’s electricity network, keeping the lights on for the nation’s capital.
During National Apprenticeship Week (February 10-16) UK Power Networks is celebrating Kevin Scarpenter’s rise to success, as inspiration for future engineers. He joined UK Power Networks as an apprentice substation fitter for Eastern Electricity in 1998, and after 27 years in the business will now run the teams maintaining safe and reliable power supplies for the city.
UK Power Networks owns and runs the cables and substations which deliver electricity from the national grid to 8.5 million homes and businesses across London, the South East and East of England, serving approximately 20 million people. Kevin will take over London teams who run the most resilient electricity network in the UK with a 99.99% reliability rate.
Kevin, who will be based in the company’s Canning Town office, said: “I’m really excited to take on the challenge. I’m proud to have started in the role of apprentice and come through to where I am now.
“Early on in my career, the career opportunities available to me were obvious as I navigated my way through the company. I was very fortunate with the people around me who were supporting me. They showed if I was willing, and take an interest in the company, then I had those pathways available.
“I’m most looking forward to continuing to build the performance of the London team. We look after arguably the most important city in the country, also one of the best performing in terms of customer service and reliability, and we are building on that to bring in new skills and meet the demands of tomorrow’s customers.”
As the UK’s energy industry upskills its workforce to cater for a Net Zero future, UK Power Networks is recruiting 57 apprentices this year to help future-proof its business with new cable jointers, substation fitters and overhead linespeople. Half will be career changers, while the rest will typically be straight from school. Applications are open until March 16 for school or college leavers, and February 16 for career changers.
