Council-Owned Group Enters Green Recruitment Market As UK Faces Energy Skills Shortfall

A council-owned organisation has entered the renewables recruitment market in an effort to plug the UK’s widening clean energy skills gap.

Commercial Services Group (CSG), one of the country’s largest public sector-owned businesses, has launched Impact Energy Partners, a Birmingham-based recruitment firm specialising in wind, solar, and grid infrastructure roles. The move comes amid government forecasts that an additional 400,000 workers will be needed to meet the UK’s clean energy targets by the end of the decade.

The new company is the 33rd trading brand within CSG, which already operates energy-focused businesses including Laser Energy, one of the UK’s biggest public sector energy providers, and Lumina Energy, a consultancy for small and medium-sized enterprises.

CSG said Impact Energy Partners would draw on the group’s three decades of experience in renewable energy to help employers address shortages in skilled labour, particularly for operational roles such as engineers and technicians. The firm also plans to support career transitions from other sectors by focusing on transferable skills.

Richard Bartlett, the former co-founder and chief executive of energy recruitment specialist Consult Energy, will lead the venture. He said Impact Energy Partners would aim to link recruitment with broader social and environmental goals.
“Renewable energy is supposed to benefit everyone — what if recruitment for renewables could do the same?” Bartlett said. “Being part of Commercial Services Group gives us the reach and stability to help make that happen, putting people at the centre of the energy transition.”

Bartlett added that a mix of experienced energy professionals and new entrants would be essential to maintaining momentum in the renewables sector.

He is joined by Melissa France, Investment Director at CSG, who has previously helped launch and scale more than 25 recruitment companies. She said the group’s public ownership model would allow it to combine commercial activity with social value.
“Our teams understand both the commercial and public sector priorities,” France said. “We’re aiming to deliver fair, effective recruitment that supports the clean energy transition while returning profits to local communities.”

CSG, which supports more than 22,000 organisations across the UK, reinvests its profits into public services. Its activities span procurement, HR, energy management, recruitment, and education support.

The launch of Impact Energy Partners comes as the UK government’s green jobs plan faces growing scrutiny. Industry groups have warned that without accelerated training and recruitment, a shortage of skilled workers could slow progress toward net-zero targets and leave renewable energy projects competing for talent.