Eon chief executive Tony Cocker has been confirmed as the new chair of the Energy and Efficiency Industrial Partnership.

Cocker said that he was “proud to stand here as chair for the next phase of this partnership” as he spoke at an apprentice graduation ceremony at the House of Commons this week.

This new phase will include work on the first comprehensive energy and utility workforce strategy with input from 29 sector chief executives. This will help to link workforce strategy to the delivery of the government’s £100bn National Infrastructure Plan almost two thirds of which will be delivered by the energy sector.

There are also plans to taken forward the “highest value initiatives” from previous years of the EEIP including its Independent Assessment Service for vocational qualifications and training.

Cocker takes over as EEIP chair from Steve Holliday, the former chief executive of National Grid who had been chair since the partnership’s inception in 2014.

The partnership (EEIP) is a collaborative group of employers, brought together to address sector skills gaps and workforce challenges.

The future of the EEIP, which has brought wide ranging benefits to skills provision and the talent pipeline for utilities in recent years, was challenged in 2015 when government funding for its work was withdrawn. Employers members have now confirmed however that they will continue to support the partnership.