The energy sector, mostly hydrocarbon, has suffered for many years with the shortage of skilled personnel to fulfill the growing sector demand. And the renewable energy sector is suffering from the same fate.
Bloomberg New Energy Finance said that over £4 trillion of new capital will flood the renewable energy market from 2011 to 2030. The past three decades have seen a steady decline in skilled staff in the energy sector as a whole thanks largely to technology, or large-scale automation. It is projected that over the next five to 10 years, around 25% of the industry’s most experienced and senior engineers will retire. Industry executives are worried that the shortage of high-level engineering skills could slow the rate of investment in new schemes.
Novo Executive Search and Selection director George Woodward told Beacon Companies that his headhunting firm has seen a five-fold increase in the number of clients within the renewable energy sector over the past year. “We currently represent companies within many areas of renewable energy including, bio-energy, wave and tidal energy, and wind generation,” he said. “The roles we are retained for have specific skill requirements, making them difficult roles to fill using the traditional methods of recruitment.”
The problem extends to Africa. World Bank senior energy economist Clemencia Torres de Mastle specifically addressed the shortage of skilled professionals in Liberia, encouraging young locals to enter into the engineering field. The World Bank is working with the Ministry of Lands, Mines & Energy (MLME) to develop a plan for priority investment projects which are aimed at increasing Liberia’s transmission and distribution system driving the need for engineers. It is estimated that out of the country’s university graduates, only about 15% are engineering with over 50% acquiring their degrees in business.
In a country where renewable energy seems to be all the rage, attracting numerous foreign companies, South Africa is suffering from the same dilemma. The country requires at least 35% of a company’s workforce to be composed of South Africans – up from its initial 25% window. Solar South Africa 2012 released a survey that highlighted the struggles many perspective investors have meeting this criterion in order to jump into the country.
And while universities around the world are offering courses in renewable energy ranging from two-year degrees to four and even post-graduate studies, the sector is still at a disadvantage in supplying enough personnel to meet the growing green energy demand.
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