Regardless of the industry or country, the transition to a low carbon economy will affect the global workforce in terms of the type of jobs available and the skills demanded. And as Romina Bandura and Clara Bonin state in a new report for the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, whether countries can develop their renewable sectors will partly be dependent upon the readiness of their workforce.
Although early estimates paint “an optimistic picture” that by 2030 and 2050 the low carbon energy transition will result in net job creation, such projections hinge upon a critical condition. This, Bandura and Bonin say, is that workers will have the required education and training on the new jobs emerging from the energy transition.
Although many countries have publicly recognised the importance of skill development for a greener energy future, it is claimed few have done anything about it. Less than 40% of Paris Agreement signatories have reportedly included any skills training in their policies aimed at the implementation of their climate action plans.
However, the authors also warn that reskilling alone might not be sufficient to enable workers to weather the carbon transition. Alongside the necessary and lacking skills, other factors also have to be considered such as the ability of workers to retrain, geographic distribution of jobs and a desire for workers to relocate, loss of earnings, plus wider community and social impacts.
Labour shortages
As Deloitte recently suggested in one of its insight reports, engineering and construction firms need to consider creative talent management strategies to attract and retain talent to help address persistent labour shortages.
An ageing workforce, waning interest among younger workers, and competition from other sectors are all said to be contributing to this talent gap. In addition, the skill requirements of the engineering and construction workforce are evolving as new technologies, customer expectations, and project complexities demand a combination of digital, technical, management, and soft skills. Deloitte says it’s important for organisations to understand what’s behind current talent shortages, and how changes in jobs due to technology and automation and the evolving needs of a modern workforce are contributing to it.
And in an effort to help build the workforce needed to ensure the US hydropower industry continues to provide reliable power into the future, the Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office recently announced US$1million in funding for the Hydropower Foundation’s workforce development programmes. Such action is deemed as being almost critical as the industry faces a wave of retirements.
“While the US hydropower industry is more than a century old, this resource still has significant untapped potential,” says WPTO Director Matthew Grosso. “Realising that potential requires paving the way for the next generation of hydropower workers and helping bring new professionals into the industry.”
More than a quarter of current hydropower industry workers will reach retirement age in the coming years. Major challenges facing the workforce include those near-term vacancies, along with an increased demand for workers due to growing hydropower infrastructure and capacity in both conventional and pumped storage hydropower.
- Outreach to trades and apprenticeship programmes.
- Outreach to universities, trade schools, community colleges, and other post-secondary institutions to address a need for engineering and other hydropower industry services.
- Support for an inclusive hydropower workforce by engaging with minority-serving institutions and black, Hispanic, and tribal professional organisations.
- Efforts to leverage and expand existing workforce development programmes and partnerships such as the foundation’s Think Tank competitions, Waterpower Clubs, and Hiring for Hydro programme.
Addressing challenges
Debbie Gray, Senior Policy Manager for the International Hydropower Association, says the hydro industry has now realised that alongside traditional topics such as dam safety and cavitation, addressing workforce challenges are crucial to its success.
With over two million people working in the global hydropower industry, the IHA says an ageing workforce and inability of the sector to attract new talent are key concerns across many parts of the world. In addition there are struggles with diversity and the sector’s reliance on internal hiring, with a perception that there are better career opportunities and higher salaries in other energy sectors.
Gray says that in light of the current climate crisis the sector needs to grow, and she hopes industry, government and civil society can work together to encourage more people to work within it. Explaining that she only accidentally ‘stumbled’ across the sector when applying for an environmental engineering job, at a local utility that was 90% hydropower, Gray wants others to know what a great place hydropower is to work in. She hopes they’ll find it on purpose instead of stumbling upon it as she and many of her peers have done.
Longevity
Retaining workers doesn’t seem to be a problem for Entura in Australia. The company recently realised that 40 of its employees have worked there for 20 years or more – amassing over 1000 years of experience.
Technical Director for Water Richard Herweynen says he has been a part of what he calls the “Entura family” for over 35 years, adding the company has become a major part of his life and identity, and is grateful for its support of his career and continuous learning and development.
Commercial Services Officer Kel Parker joined as soon as she left school in 1990 and has witnessed significant changes in organisational structure, technology, the roles and proportion of women in the business, and different ways of working. Throughout this all she says her pride in working for Entura has not wavered.
Originally thinking he’d stay for only two years, Senior Mechanical Engineer Karun Doddajataka Thammaiah, has now reached his 20-year anniversary. He said he never thought of moving as Entura provides a range of challenging and diverse projects with a great work-life balance.
Paul Southcott, Senior Principal for Dams and Headworks, is celebrating 25 years at Entura and during that time has lots of memories of fun social activities, lunchtime walks and chats, helping younger colleagues learn and grow, plus working on very interesting projects locally, nationally and internationally.
Entura’s Managing Director, Dr Amanda Ashworth, has also celebrated a 25th anniversary at the company. “The fact that we work with people who have chosen to dedicate such significant amounts of their working lives to our business is an incredible testament to our supportive workplace culture, our professionalism, and the contribution our projects make to a more sustainable future,” she says.
However, one worker surpasses all of the above achievements. Michael Wallis joined the company (Hydro Tasmania, Hydro Tasmania Consulting and then Entura) in February 1965 – and hasn’t left since.
Wallis has worked on water infrastructure projects throughout Tasmania, mainland Australia and overseas, and amassed six decades of professional expertise in civil engineering and hydraulics. He has relished working with young people and generously given his time as an inspiring mentor for many students. His advice to students and younger colleagues is to study hard and to achieve your goals.
“Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you don’t understand something,” he adds. “If you are trying to solve a problem and having trouble, then it is better to ask.”
Despite thinking about retiring decades ago, Mike continues to work part-time with Entura because he likes the work and people. If he didn’t, he says, he wouldn’t still be there.
Ripple effect and women in hydro
Representation at senior levels gives a good indication to other women that there’s a place for them, and this can be quite influential in whether women can see a long-term future in such a workplace.
When addressing the role of women in hydropower, Helen Barbour-Bourne, GHD’s national hydropower sector lead, says it’s not just about attracting women to the sector, it’s also about retaining them – particularly women with family obligations. Women must have the support and flexibility they need to stay and progress in their careers, she says.
Marvelling at seeing more women taking up leadership roles in the hydropower industry, Barbour-Bourne says it is still important to keep examining any barriers to female participation, especially if initiatives to increase this fail to meet their targets.
Although one of the most valuable lessons of her career has been learning when to lead and when to let others take the reins, Barbour-Bourne says she owes a huge part of her own development to the people she has worked with – such as those she’s managed, reported to and collaborated with.
And as Alka Yadav, Director at the Green Energy Transition Research Institute in India believes, the energy transition must be inclusive and diverse. She also advocates for increasing numbers of female trainers and mentors because when women train women, “the ripple effect is unstoppable”.
Second chances
Inna Braverman, Founder and CEO of Eco Wave Power has a fascinating story to tell about her initial involvement in the wave power industry. Born in Ukraine, only two weeks before the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986, she almost died in the aftermath of the world’s worst nuclear tragedy. Growing up and feeling she’d been given a second chance in life; she was determined to do something good with it.
After studying politics and unable to gain work as a graduate, Braverman took a job as a translator in a renewable energy company instead. Although thinking wind and solar power were great, she became more attracted to the huge potential of wave power and with the innocence of a 24-yer-old, thought she was the perfect person to help develop it – even though she doesn’t come from a technical background.
Believing there was a feeling of destiny and that perhaps fate had drawn her to this industry (Inna means running water in Greek), it was an accidental meeting with an entrepreneur at a social even that led to the establishment of her company Eco Wave Power. “What were the chances we were both passionate about wave power?” she asks.
As a young female in a very masculine industry, Braverman says she has always wanted to prove the naysayers wrong. Her big driving force is proving she can do something when told she can’t. She believes her naivety and lack of experience nine years ago enabled her to think outside of the box and look at the overall picture, perhaps making it possible to spot innovations others had missed. “Sometimes you need to come at it with fresh eyes,” she says.
Braverman says passion and persistence are the two key factors that have helped in her career. “If you’re truly passionate about something, if you really feel that you have this amazing opportunity to change the world, then you’ll persist. Because you won’t give up on your dream that easily. And, you know, being in wave energy, I always say that passion is the greatest renewable energy source, even stronger than the power of the waves.”
Braverman was selected as one of 100 inspiring, influential and impactful women on Reuters Events 2025 List of Trailblazing Women. She was awarded the 2024 Global Leadership Award by Vital Voices and honoured by the United Nations with a portrait in their exhibition about Women Leaders Powering the
Global Goals.
