Learning and development encompasses leadership and management development, professional training, and operational and technical training - all focused on ensuring our employees have the right skills to meet the needs of the business.

Leadership development is the responsibility of the UK HR Director in conjunction with our parent company, while responsibility for operational learning and development is shared between the HR Director and our Business Unit Managing Directors.

Through the performance management process, employees are able to discuss their development needs with their line manager, both for their current position   and for any future roles they would like to undertake.

We offer a comprehensive online programme of learning events accessible through Academy Online, an online facility that provides access, guidance and support for all learning events.

During 2006, we delivered 220 programmes for around 2,000 delegates covering topics from leadership to business and personal skills.

The E.ON Academy, the Group's corporate university, offers leadership programmes at a number of leading European and US business schools as well as making a range of online tools more widely available. In 2006, the UK business continued its collaboration with the Academy and Warwick Business School to deliver the Challenge of Leadership programme for around 200 of our senior managers.

Acting on the feedback from our broader management population and our employee opinion survey carried out in 2005, we've designed 'A Call to Arms', a new leadership programme for our middle managers. This builds on the success of the Challenge of Leadership programme and provides managers with the opportunity to develop their leadership capability. During 2006, 133 managers successfully took part and we're planning a further roll-out for 2007.

A number of our businesses developed UK Functional academies, providing access to professional development for employees in a number of important areas, including   HR and Procurement. Further academies are planed for 2007, including one for Health and Safety and one for E.ON IS UK.

We also support employees in continuing their education and obtaining further professional qualifications. This support can range from providing time off for courses and study, to support with learning materials and the payment of tuition and exam fees.

Addressing the skills shortage

We are facing a serious shortfall of electrical engineers in our industry, and to address this issue, we are one of the prime movers behind the 'IET Power Academy' in collaboration with the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and a consortium of major energy companies. Central Networks' Managing Director Bob Taylor was the Power Academy's Chairman in 2006. The Power Academy is a practical scheme that aims to reverse the decline in engineering student numbers by sponsoring promising people to take degrees in power-related engineering courses at six leading engineering universities: Southampton, Manchester, Strathclyde, and Queens University in Belfast, London and Cardiff.

We also believe our apprentice programme is one of the best in the industry, having gained IET EngTech professional accreditation in 2006. In 2006, we recruited 51 people to train as E.ON electrical and mechanical apprentices. The programme offers four years' on-the-job experience supported by the chance to study for a City and Guilds qualification, and a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in electricity distribution and transmission engineering. To assist the UK skills shortage challenge, we recruited 11 ex-apprentice technicians from our parent company in Germany, where there is currently an oversupply of good candidates. Our intention is to offer further recruitment opportunities to German colleagues throughout 2007.

To attract more people to a career in engineering, we have launched an innovative educational engagement programme called plugin2engineering aimed at children aged between 11 and 16. It was launched at two separate events supported by the Skills Minister and local Members of Parliament, and involves working in close partnership with 21 schools and colleges across the Central Networks operating area. It provides educational toolkits and a range of materials and activities to each school to aid cross-curricular teaching in science and technology based on our activities.   In addition, schools have the opportunity to get a 'hands-on' feel for the industry by taking part in other activities such as open days, work experience, industrial visits and careers guidance.

The programme allows us to aid the development of schoolchildren within our local community and provide them with an awareness of our industry and the career opportunities available to them.

The programme is innovative as we are building strong two-way partnerships with local education and providing employee volunteers to bring science and engineering to life, whilst retaining the spirit and ethos of One E.ON.