Are employers competing for a pool of talent that just isn’t growing? Recent government announcements on energy policy suggests that the situation can only get worse. We have a programme of de-commissioning and new build of nuclear power stations (the UK currently operates 9 stations in 9 locations but all but one of these will be redundant by 2023); a new generation of coal fired power stations with the technology to capture and store the carbon dioxide which is produced being incorporated; and a commitment to invest in the development of offshore wind farms and tidal power.
So who is going to design and build these projects? I have been approached a number of times by the UK renewable press with exactly that question. Where are the skills we require and if they don’t yet exist then where are we going to find them? The question is frequently asked as to whether these people will have specific energy sector experience – how can this be in what is a new, developing industry. Surely we must look to the worlds existing energy specialists to transfer their skills and fill these jobs.
So from where can we get these skills in a market that is only just in the development phase? From which sectors could we take these skills? “Can the Oil & Gas sector provide the required skills?” is a question I am frequently asked, but can we also look to other technical engineering sectors such as the automotive, defence or aerospace industries for these skills? It is my belief that it is the case that these skills can be found but this will only come about when the “New Energy” sector expands its horizons by allowing its recruitment professionals to be more flexible and creative in their recruitment strategies.
On more than one occasion we have been approached by clients who have been searching for skills for over 12 months when transferable skills along with some research and training could have filled these jobs from skilled employees within one of the sectors mentioned above in a ¼ of that time.
There is no doubt that the “New Energy” sector will provide many jobs and business opportunities in the future but there needs to be a shift in attitude from an obsession for previous experience to a more proactive flexible approach in order to allow those with transferable skills the opportunity to mould their skills in to these roles and develop this industry.
Roger Dunning
Managing Director
