With hydropower and pumped storage being seen as long-term sustainable solutions within the energy transition, the increased demand for such projects, combined with the scarcity of experienced professionals, is leading to a greater need for assistance in finding the right person for the right job. Established in 2011, Plan Recruit is a small independent business that specialises in global hydropower and dam engineering recruitment. We support clients by sourcing the most suitable professionals for international design offices and construction projects.
Plan Recruit works with IPPs, developers, investment companies, engineering consultants, contractors and manufacturers for hydropower, dam and pumped storage projects. Based in England, we work with candidates to find experienced experts and managers for remote and challenging regions. However, these experts are not always readily available, and it’s taken us years to build up a globally reaching network, giving access to candidates that are not accessible to companies’ internal resourcing teams.
From a construction site perspective, it is crucial to appoint strong leaders on hydropower projects in order to mitigate the delays and huge costs which can incur. And as they are complex projects, having the right technical experience based on site is paramount. Design offices work differently and have their own complexities.
Ultimately, we don’t just recruit engineers; we’re also relocating their families and setting them up for their new adventure. Some of our recent placements include hydropower construction projects in Pakistan, Malaysia, Burundi, Philippines, Mozambique, Uganda and Australia.
Recruitment can be a slow process
Recruiting within hydropower is without doubt more difficult than in other sectors. Ultimately, the process is just too slow. Frequently, clients will approach with “urgent” openings, but the person provided for the job won’t start in the position for another 12 months.
Large hydropower projects are often owned by governments, bureaucratic organisations and can also be funded by private investment or the World Bank, ADB, ADF etc. This means they have the final verdict on who works on their projects, they have incredibly high expectations and decisions do not always come quickly. There can also be many partners or joint ventures which increase the number of decision makers and therefore, increases the time taken to make a choice. Other delays include long notice periods and visa processes.
Ensuring effective communication with candidates from these closed sources to maintain their interest in a job prospect for this length of time is a challenge, especially when they want to get their next contract and are highly sought after, they’re not available for long.
Our consultants have had experience in different recruiting backgrounds to reflect upon, mainly within engineering and construction, and the main difference is the time scales. Hydropower recruitment, they say, is a long process.
Trends in hydropower
Trends are visible within the sector and include workers continuing in employment much later than in previous decades. One example is an 82-year-old still happily working onsite! Normally for site roles there are age restrictions up to around 70, but many are keen to work beyond this providing they are fit and healthy.
There also now seems to be a lack of younger people willing to work abroad on projects. Site life often means being absent from family for extended periods of time, in sometimes dangerous parts of the world. Understandably, even with a generous salary, it is not always favourable to be away from partners and young children. Although pumped storage does bring the opportunity for engineers to work in less rural locations which are more suitable for relocating a family to (if they are willing to do so).
Some locations are also unsafe and can bring cultural and religious differences to the fore which can sadly mean those with different backgrounds or from more ethnic places, and even women, are not welcomed by local teams.
The above points are focussing on some site-based projects. Positively, the front-end design work happens in engineering offices globally, where a much more diverse environment is actively encouraged.
Younger workers
We’ve also found that it can be difficult to assist younger people who are trying to enter the sector. Unless they specialise in graduate placement, most companies won’t hire a junior person from a recruitment company. However, if approached by those looking to enter into the sector, Plan Recruit will offer advice about those companies which can be contacted directly. Most companies do offer good graduate schemes and want to bring talented individuals in to develop a strong engineering workforce.
At Plan Recruit we also recently joined the International Hydropower Association. We share the association’s values and believe in sustainable hydropower. It has also given us the opportunity to widen our knowledge and network within the sector, and we will continue to promote cleaner energy worldwide.
