By Gary McAuliffe
Utilities are experiencing a massive workforce transformation. Half of their workforce is expected to retire in the next decade, and the industry’s typical job description is rapidly changing as utilities move full steam ahead with grid modernization efforts. This new reality means utilities must double down on recruitment efforts, retrain current employees, and ensure institutional knowledge is transferred from retiring experts to the emerging workforce.
With so many changes ahead, it is easy to see why utilities are concerned. Employees are a company’s best asset, and utilities can’t keep the lights on without a workforce that is up-to-speed on the latest technology. So, what can be done? The key is embracing technology in the training process and bringing new collar workers into the fold.
A modernized grid requires a modern approach to training and hiring
Governments around the world are looking to utilities to support clean energy initiatives and ensure a resilient and reliable grid. To prepare our aging grid for changing energy patterns and extreme weather events, utilities are focused on modernization efforts that provide operators and end users more insight and control. This, however, is not an easy feat. The fact that many of the core elements of our grid are more than 25 years old demonstrates the magnitude of this endeavor.
After the implementation phase is complete, the next step is to train new and seasoned field workers to operate, maintain, and use the technology to its fullest potential. While there can be a learning curve, on-the-job training that mixes the physical world with video, audio, and advanced AR tools – such as telestration – can improve the process tremendously. This can be done via portable electronic devices such as smartphones or wearables.
If you’re not familiar with telestration, you’ve almost undoubtedly seen it in action when a sports commentator draws on the screen to demonstrate a play call or a presenter shows the movement of a storm during a weather report. It eases the process of highlighting what is important when the person talking is not in the same room as the audience. Plus, when artificial intelligence and IoT visualization are added to the learning process, it is possible to access live translation, object recognition, and sensor data integration. It’s all about getting the right information to the right person at the right time.
Another way technology closes the talent gap is by expanding the pool of potential candidates. With the help of technology, utilities can hire what the industry has dubbed “new collar workers” – those with the drive and ability to be successful but that lack the technical skills required. Without the help of AR and other digital learning tools, utilities likely wouldn’t have enough resources to train new employees or reskill those already in the field quickly enough. In turn, this would cause a massive gap between the number of qualified applicants and open positions and ultimately slow down grid modernization efforts.
Data shows that advanced technology for on-the-job support is a win-win for utilities and workers. According to the Powering the Utility Workforce of the Future report, organizations are seeing 70% productivity gains, 50% cost savings, and 3x efficiency gains when providing workers access to the right information and guidance at the time it’s needed. From the employees’ perspective, it offers more job opportunities, as well as creates a safer work environment by providing access to remote support and requires fewer employees to physically enter hazardous conditions (also a key consideration for utilities).
Keeping institutional knowledge alive
The upcoming mass exodus of utility workers due to retirement creates not only a talent shortage but also a loss of invaluable industry knowledge and expertise that workers have accumulated from decades in the field. While this is a scary prospect, the good news is that it’s possible to pass down institutional knowledge with the right assets in place.
Creating a centralized knowledge base of data, images, or recordings is key to saving expertise and processes that would otherwise be lost when an employee leaves. Data can then be automatically tagged, sorted, and analyzed with the help of AI and ML capabilities to make it usable. The beauty of this technology is that information that was once known only by a select few can now be securely shared and accessed by any authorized employee, even in ultra-low bandwidth situations.
Another important application of this digital technology is turning paper forms, guidebooks, records, and other relevant documents into digital assets and storing them in the same centralized location. This makes it easier and more convenient for employees to access essential information on the go. Having one knowledge repository helps the next generation of field workers do their jobs more effectively and efficiently, improves safety metrics, and even reduces the cost of running their operations and maintenance (O&M) programs.
Future-proofing a changing workforce
Like any technology implementation, the key is to start small and find the right partners. A pilot project can highlight concrete business benefits used to obtain executive/workforce buy-in and help identify any problems that arise before a more extensive deployment.
At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that technology plays a critical role in keeping the grid running and creating a workforce ready to handle whatever comes their way. One is simply not possible without the other.
About the Author
Gary McAuliffe is Librestream’s VP of global energy and utilities. He is responsible for delivering workforce transformation to the frontlines of the utility, renewable energy, and oil & gas sectors. Mr. McAuliffe leverages his multi-decade experience in the energy sector to address critical workforce challenges associated with generational retirements, skilled worker shortages and institutional knowledge loss. Prior to Librestream, Mr. McAuliffe worked as the SVP Sales & Marketing for Innovari, a virtual power plant provider, Sales Director for Silver Spring Networks (now Itron), the number one utility field network provider, and President of Theorem Geo Associates, a consulting firm focused exclusively on the utility industry.
