The Skills Conundrum
The energy sector will need a huge number of skills over the next 5-10 years. This is something the industry is aware of.
But what does this mean?
It means, we’re going to need significant numbers of people that can do particular jobs, and these jobs have particular skills requirements.
What is clear is that these two aspects must be matched together. Our industry’s ‘skills challenge’ is matching them together, at the right time and in the right place.
I have spoken to companies that need skilled individuals, have skilled individuals, and train and educate people.
To me there are two things to observe.
The Conundrum – we know that when the growing clean energy sectors take off, there will be huge demand for people with the right skills. Getting these people will take time. The training can take several years, so we need to encourage people on to these courses now to ensure we have the right skilled individuals when the demand truly picks up. Skills like welding, SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) technicians and planners will be vital – as highlighted in Skills Development Scotland’s recent Career Opportunities across Scotland in Offshore Wind publication.
When speaking to some companies, they want to take on more people and train them. But without greater certainty of when they will be needed, businesses are wary as this comes with the potential of having to let individuals go at the end of their training.
The Solution – a greater certainty of projects will allow the entire energy industry to prepare. To take the calculated risk to invest in their people and equipment, being in the best position to be successful, and grow into the clean industries such as offshore wind and hydrogen.
Does this mean we sit back and let the industry take care of itself? That we don’t bother supporting skills and training? Not at all. While I am confident companies will prepare for future opportunities, we need to support them in the right way. Not all companies have the in-house ability and resource to train people. This can have a knock-on effect on attracting new people or retaining existing staff, compounding the problem.
We need to:
- Raise awareness of what is needed and when
- Locate where and how to get the right skilled individuals
- Encourage people into the energy sector
- Put the right access and courses in place to meet the base requirements
- Welcome a diverse talent pool
- Give individuals the ability to choose where to go and build their career
The National Energy Skills Accelerator (NESA) and its partners are working to cover all the above and more. I am delighted to join the NESA Board and support the continued progress.
As an organisation, we want to engage with companies and individuals to ensure we are always working to deliver what is needed, where it is needed and when it is needed. NESA members will be at All-Energy on 14-15th May in Glasgow, so please come and talk to us.
