Empowering the Energy Sector by Securing a Skilled Electrical Workforce

As industries strive to meet ambitious climate goals and improve their energy efficiency, the transition to more sustainable alternatives becomes increasingly vital. Electrification not only reduces reliance on fossil fuels but also leverages renewable energy sources, making it a cornerstone of sustainable industrial growth. Industry accounts for around 40% of global energy use and contributes to 25% of greenhouse gas emissions. Electrification, particularly through renewable sources, offers a significant path toward reducing these emissions and achieving net-zero targets.  

Electrification is crucial for supporting the growth and competitiveness of the industrial sector. As global energy demand increases, the shift towards electrification helps industries become more sustainable and resilient in the face of the imminent environmental crisis. The adoption of electric technologies is essential for aligning with decarbonization goals while fostering innovation and economic development. 

However, to fully capitalize on these benefits, significant investments in infrastructure, technology, policy support and rigorous workforce development are necessary. Overcoming bottlenecks, securing skilled labor, and ensuring robust safety frameworks are critical steps to facilitate the transition to electrification and to harness its full potential for environmental and economic gains.

Upskilling and Specialized Training is Imminent for a Resilient Energy Sector 

As electrification technologies advance, there is an urgent need for workers to be proficient in new systems, such as industrial electric heating solutions. This skills gap poses a barrier to the rapid deployment and optimization of these technologies, underscoring the necessity for targeted training programs and educational initiatives to prepare the workforce for this crucial transition. 

Energy sectors across the globe experience the highest vacancy rates, accentuating the struggles of filling certain positions. The clean energy sectors, particularly in labor-intensive construction and manufacturing, are experiencing significant worker shortages, a challenge reflected across the broader global economy. According to the IEA (International Energy Agency), these areas will have a pivotal role and constitute most of the job growth within the energy sector throughout the next decade. 

The limited availability of skilled workers intensifies the competition, not just between employees but between different energy sectors as well, as the high demand for electricians – especially with extensive high voltage – further depletes the already insufficient pool of potential hires needed by grid and wind developers. The higher degree of specialization required by these roles foresees an imminent need for upskilling and specialized training.

Our Electrical Training

As the energy workforce continues to expand, training is becoming a vital tool for companies employing electricians to fill gaps in skills. Besides operative and technical training, more programs are focusing on safety and efficiency to promote a healthy work environment for a safer industry landscape. RelyOn offers a wide range of electrical courses both in an on-site and e-learning format for a more seamless training experience to build the safe and sustainable electrical workforce of the future.   

Working with industry experts, education and government partners allows RelyOn to build electrical skills and safety knowledge, ensuring performance in high reliability, high consequence operational environments. RelyOn’s blended learning approach for electrical skills and safety combines face-to-face classroom teaching, practical exercises on a range of HV and LV equipment in a growing number of our facilities, with powerful digital learning and assessment tools.  

RelyOn provides these through a flexible Global Electrical Learning Library (GELL), ensuring consistent training outcomes across different areas by mapping industry standards and legislation. Training programs for working on or near electrical networks include understanding legislation, technical codes, safety procedures, and permit requirements. These programs range from basic safety and operational knowledge for de-energized apparatus to advanced skills for supervising teams and managing complex HV (high voltage) switching activities allowing for a complete training solution for workers of all levels.

Workforce Development and Advanced Consulting Services

Global energy transformation is being driven by key trends such as utility grid modernization, system strengthening, the expansion and integration of renewable energy sources, electrification, and the adoption of advanced communication and outsourcing strategies. RelyOn supports these shifts by helping organizations develop and maintain a competent workforce, ensuring safe and consistent work practices, and achieving regulatory compliance and audit readiness. 

RelyOn's consultancy services include learning and development consulting, engineering consulting, and traditional consulting. Identifying the knowledge, skills, and behaviors necessary for effective training and addressing both current and future skill requirements are the forefront of our operations to ensure safety on all levels of operations. This process establishes benchmarks for required competencies and identifies training pathways to bridge any gaps. 

RelyOn’s engineering consulting services cover high and low voltage electrical safety rules, technical documentation, arc flash calculations, switching instructions, asset management, and maintenance plans. Additionally, RelyOn provides extensive advice for managing high and low voltage plants in industrial-scale electrical environments, leveraging the deep knowledge of transmission and distribution networks, renewable technologies, and large-scale electrical infrastructure projects.

Conclusion

As industries aim for climate goals and better energy efficiency, electrification is key, cutting fossil fuel use and tapping into renewable energy. This shift is vital for sustainable growth, as industry is a major energy user and emitter of greenhouse gases. However, the move to electrification requires big investments in infrastructure, technology, policies, and workforce training. There is a growing need for skilled workers in electrification systems, highlighting the need for targeted training programs.  

RelyOn helps address these needs by offering diverse courses and consulting services, ensuring workers are well-prepared for both current and future demands. They provide comprehensive training from basic safety to advanced high-voltage skills, supporting a safe and sustainable workforce in the global energy shift. 

Get to know more about our electrical training solutions and services here, or contact your local training center for more information!