Energy revolution needs education revolution too: Report

Better education and workforce training programs are vital to the successful deployment of a smarter energy grid, according to a new report from the GridWise Alliance.

“The US Smart Grid Revolution: Smart Grid Workforce Trends 2011,” examines how the continued development and deployment of smart-grid technology affects the electric energy industry employment landscape. The report, prepared by KEMA — a global consulting, testing and certification firm — emphasizes that education initiatives will be critical to maximizing improvements to the electric system.

Among the report’s key findings:

• Job creation and the development of an industry native to the United States is a national priority;
• Continuous investment in the smart-grid sector has expanded opportunities across the entire electric energy industry;
• Smart grid continues to be a primary example of a technological area that is ripe with opportunity and ready for continued innovation and creativity; and
• To maximize the potential for economic growth, the US must both encourage young talent to enter the electric energy industry and retrain current employees in the new skills required to modernize the grid.

“As these findings show, the future of the workforce depends heavily on collaboration among industry, academia, and government, and will require reform in all sectors of society, including education, technology and customer service,” said Bob Shapard, chairman of the GridWise Alliance.

The report notes that a transition to smart-grid job creation and growth must include:

• Retraining programs that speak directly to the knowledge gaps of existing electric energy industry workers;
• Engineering and technical curricula for future employees that resonate with the needs of the smart grid workforce, such as broad analytical skills, strong engineering fundamentals, and strong business acumen;
• Retraining efforts to familiarize workers with smart-grid technology and systems; and
• Educating current students who will be the smart grid workforce of tomorrow.

“This report takes the industry’s first comprehensive look at not only how the expansion of the smart grid will strengthen the American economy but also the critical steps America must take to ensure its workforce is prepared to maximize this new
technology,” said Randy Berry, GridWise Alliance board liaison for the education and workforce work group.