
While the renewable energy industry is fast-growing and gradually becoming a sustainable sector to reckon with, it’s facing a critical challenge that calls for concern: The clean energy sector lacks sufficient talent.
Overview
Skill shortage in the renewable industry is holding down the industry’s growth, and several surveys have been conducted into finding out what the causes of the challenge are and what should be done to remedy the issue.
Causes of Skill Shortage in the Renewable Energy Sector
Research shows that one of the leading factors contributing to the skill shortage in the renewable industry is the lack of sufficient skilled staff. This can be attributed to the industry's relative immaturity and also how fast it’s expanding without enough workforces to move in its space.
Some studies have found evidence to support that one of the specific causes of this challenge is insufficient training and education. Companies and Institutions are not exposing their workforce to up-to-date education and training programs, resulting in a global skills gap in the sector.
Another study found to be contributing to the skills shortage in the renewable sector is the age factor. Skilled staff who are already working in the energy industry as a whole are getting older and are reluctant to transition from sectors such as Oil & Gas in to Renewables, leaving the sector in the hands of younger expertise who are potentially not skilled enough.
It’s also worth mentioning that strict immigration laws also play a part in this challenge. Some laws per country are hindering the global recruitment of skilled expertise, who should impact their knowledge on newly recruited candidates, from one part of the world to another.
Affected Fields
The whole industry is experiencing a shortage in talent, but some fields suffer the backlash than others. The most affected fields suffering a shortage in talent in the renewable industry are Operation and Maintenance, Subsea Pipeline Construction, and Health & Safety. Project Management professionals are also in high demand.
Remedies to Skill Shortage in the Energy Sector
Several solutions have been proposed to tackle this challenge, and the leading solution is that companies should expose their existing workforce to up-to-date training and education.
Another solution is that companies should broaden their recruitment processes, with which they can target to recruit people with transferable skills from other industries.
Also, collaborating with colleges to attract top graduates will help companies address the issue of talent shortage in the sector. This also means that companies can dialog with colleges on educating some categories of students and equip them with skills in the renewable energy field.
With this, fresh candidates can be recruited into the industry with relative skills.
It’s worth mentioning that some companies have taken the bold step of recruiting more women as an effort to tackle the gender imbalance in the industry.
Conclusion
One big challenge the renewable energy sector is facing today is the lack of sufficient talent. While the causes of this challenge have been identified, solutions have also been proffered to address them.
With new candidates exposed to intense training and education, companies collaborating with colleges, and broadened recruitment processes, looking at rival industries where skills are transferrable, the challenge of shortage in talent in the energy industry can be addressed organically and growth targets with be met.
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