Sculpting the Energy Worker of the Future

The energy worker of the future will require a different set of personal attributes than those normally selected for today. Energy companies may well find these attributes in short supply.

One of my more interesting roles is the occasional advisory work for educational institutions on the skills requirements for the energy worker of the future. Since I research and write about energy topics, including energy futures, I do have an opinion on the likely skills, particularly those in the digital area.

Now energy systems are entering a phase of high uncertainty. Major questions abound on the eventual scale of various energy products, such as the various shades of hydrogen, nuclear energy, battery and energy storage technologies, fusion, fossil fuels, the renewables, geothermal, tidal, and many others. Loyalty seems rather a quaint notion in an aggressive merger and acquisition world.

Most schools lack the capacity to place risky bets on possible energy futures that might not play out, and so seek lots of input before making commitments to new educational directions.

Digital innovations are evolving even faster.

Recently I participated in a working session at SAIT on these questions, and this episode sets out some of the findings.