For Npower, a company operating in an industry and a region that are both in the process of shifting their focus from heavy industry to one increasingly rooted in services, the need to address skills development is a pressing one.

Based in north-east England, the electricity supplier faces many challenges. With more than 2,200 employees working in customer services centres, npower needs to make sure its staff members have the right kind of soft skills for the job – and these are skills that differ drastically from the traditional technical expertise associated with the industry.