New Energy World™
New Energy World™ embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low-carbon technologies.
The future of work
2/3/2022
6 min read
Feature
What skills will be needed as the energy transition gathers pace was a hot topic throughout International Energy Week 2022*, reports Brian Davis. There were plenty of strong opinions throughout the conference. Generally, the energy sector was felt to be moving in the right direction but, like much in the energy transition, the pace needs to be faster.
‘What are the key challenges and opportunities that we face building skills for transition into a new energy era,’ asked Dr Hayaatun Sillem, CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering, opening the ‘The future of work’ session. Indeed, given the recent trials and tribulations of the pandemic, what does the workplace of the future look like? How can energy companies develop the workforce needed for the transition? And where are the skill gaps in vital areas like digitalisation?
The big task is change. ‘We are experiencing drastic change. We need a workforce that is able to understand the effects of change on the system and develop a workforce that is able to identify the opportunities as a result of the changes that occur,’ remarked Chris Mahaffey, Vice President of Strategy at Petrocare Marine Consultants.
Easier said than done. Mahaffey quoted the famous futurist Alvin Toffler, who said: ‘The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but will be those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.’