Activity: Energy Manager Apprentice share and learn approach

Organisation: Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust

What was the issue?

The NHS estate accounts for the largest source of direct carbon emissions from energy usage, and efficient energy management provides both costs and carbon savings. Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh (WWL) NHS Foundation Trust initially sought to employ an experienced Energy Manager, however they were unable to recruit despite several attempts due to high industry demand for this skill set.

What action was taken?

The trust decided to pursue the Energy Manager apprenticeship route, partnering with the University of Lancashire who offered a matching service through their Sustainable Building Services Engineering Course. The apprenticeship was designed to equip candidates with the skills for an Energy Manager role, and it was important that apprentice candidates were considering or seeking a role in the NHS.

WWL NHS Foundation Trust’s Energy Manager apprentice came into post in October 2024, and the team were keen for them to gain tangible experience of implementing energy projects early on in their apprenticeship. At the time there were no suitable projects underway within the trust, so the team reached out to other Energy Managers across Greater Manchester to arrange for a mutually beneficial short-term ‘share and learn’ support placement.

A three-month placement was arranged for the apprentice at Manchester University NHS FT (MFT) to provide them with hands-on project experience covering capital schemes, energy management, and project management and administration. The apprentice was able to gain hands-on insight into projects at MFT, whilst MFT benefitted from additional project management capacity.

What was the Delivering a Net Zero NHS benefit?

The ‘share and learn’ approach provided the apprentice with exposure to energy projects and made the trusts approach to sustainability more robust. It strengthened the trusts relationship with Manchester University NHS FT and provided the apprentice with an external mentor in addition to their trust line manager.

Due to the Energy Manager apprentice joining the team, this released capacity for the trust’s Energy and Sustainability Manager, and they were able to progress broader initiatives including funding bids. For example, WWL NHS Foundation trust was successful in securing over £4.5 million through the National Energy Efficiency Fund (2024/25) and Great British Energy scheme (2025/26) for installing energy efficiency measures such as LED lighting and building management systems and installing new solar panels.

What are the wider benefits?

The increased team capacity enabled the Energy and Sustainability team to develop strategic relations with other teams across the trust, aligned with Green Plan priorities.

In addition to the direct sustainability benefits of the ‘share and learn’ approach, through working closely with other Greater Manchester trusts this has enabled relationships to be developed, fostered better collaboration, and increased effectiveness through the provision of a wider network of colleagues to connect with on energy management.

Nathan Lever, Energy Manager Apprentice, shared reflections from his placement: “Whilst on placement with Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, I worked closely with their Energy Manager on the Sustainability team. This was beneficial for my own professional development as I was able to learn from someone in the same role as me but with more experience. During my time there, we were also able to share ideas for future projects and compare current methods of working, both of which helped us learn from each other.”

Key contact and email: Josh Balmer, Energy and Sustainability Manager, josh.balmer@wwl.nhs.uk