New research by Engineers Australia (EA) has revealed the keys to successfully transitioning energy jobs from thermal industries to renewables as the decarbonisation effort continues.
Conducted in partnership with global engineering company Mott MacDonald, the research shows many professionals and communities are already navigating the energy transformation effectively and a clear path to a net zero-ready workforce is achievable with better support and coordination.
“We know that skilled engineers are already taking their extensive experience and translating it into roles in clean energy fields such as renewables,” Engineers Australia CEO Romilly Madew AO said.
“The legacy of coal, oil and gas is that professionals who’ve worked across those sectors are now contributing to net zero industries.
“This might be by moving into new roles in the clean energy sector or applying their skills to boosting sustainable practices in their current industry.
“While many are managing the transition, employers are providing fresh insights into what else is needed to ensure no one is left behind and that thriving communities can continue to be a hub for jobs and families into the future.”
Core energy job transition insights
Engineers Australia’s report highlights five insights from its research, concerning employment trends, geographical considerations, the labour force itself, training pathways and policy recommendations.
The organisation’s research has revealed that employers are more concerned with their employees’ approach to and capabilities within their job than specific disciplinary experience, offering easier pathways to reskilling for the clean energy sector.
It also suggested building clean energy infrastructure in the same communities as existing thermal energy workforces would go a long way to reducing dislocation and encouraging retention, removing the need to relocate.
Recruiting engineers from other countries is becoming increasingly difficult as global demand rises – Engineers Australia suggests re-engaging the significant portion of qualified engineers not currently in the workforce (particularly women, older Australians and migrant engineers) is critical to maintaining skilled labour pools.
To that end, EA recommends adjusting engineering training pathways to position renewable training more centrally as part of core degrees rather than offering separate streams for those roles.
The government will have to play a key role in continued training as well, better defining occupational profiles and updating the classification of occupations to reflect emerging roles in the renewable sector.
EA believes policy support is essential to “drive innovation, align initiatives across governmental levels and implement systemic changes that encourage skill transferability and workforce expansion”.
Madew says political and industry leaders have a huge opportunity to develop and promote policies which will help ensure skills are being transferred where investment is already occurring.
“Let’s further improve recruitment, retention and re-engagement,” she said.
“Investing in people and showing them the opportunities to deploy their existing skills is key to keeping existing communities thriving.
“Better training pathways and micro-credentialing will also go a long way towards supporting these career transitions.”