Ep 13 | Where Will The Future Generation of Energy Workers Come From?

In this episode of Energy Transition Talk, we talk about the future of the energy workforce and how we can recruit and prepare the next generation energy workforce for the energy transition.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) anticipates that adopting clean energy technologies will create 14 million jobs by 2030. However, many students, concerned about the fossil fuel industry’s role in climate change and its job security risks, are turning away from careers traditionally associated with the fossil fuel industry, like petroleum engineering and mining. This can create a shortage of positions needed for the energy transition. The energy transition will depend on engineers, electricians, plumbers, and mechanics—just to name a few—to build the infrastructure needed for the energy transition (think power lines, heat pumps, and wind turbines). So if you’re thinking about pursuing a career in STEM or energy more broadly – we need you!

How can we manage this critical transition in the energy workforce? To talk about this challenge, Justine chats with Dr. Barbara Ransom, an internationally known geoscientist at the National Science Foundation. They discuss current trends in the energy workforce, the broad range of skills we’ll need for the energy transition, the implications of artificial intelligence (AI), and the challenges and potential solutions to increasing interest in STEM and green jobs.

Jim then speaks with Abhinav Vishal, a petroleum engineering student at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology in India, about the role that petroleum engineering can play in the energy transition.

02:33 Interview with Dr. Ransom

37:51 Interview with Abhinav Vishal

53:57 Concluding Remarks

Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast so you can automatically get access to our new episodes – you can find us on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. And we would appreciate it so much if you could leave a rating and review, and let us know what you thought about this episode! Special thanks to our guests for today and Abhi, our technical guru, for his behind-the-scenes contributions to our podcast. This podcast is sponsored by the USC Ershaghi Center for Energy Transition.

Referenced in the podcast and additional resources:

• Wall Street Journal, Big Oil’s Talent Crisis: High Salaries Are No Longer Enough, August 6, 2023

• New Yorker, The Great Electrician Shortage, Apr. 24, 2023

• IEA, The reskilling challenge: How can we leave no one behind in the energy transition?, Apr. 26, 2023

• McKinsey, Toward a more orderly US energy transition: Six key action areas, Jan. 12, 2023

Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Energy Transition Talk series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of the Ershaghi Center for Energy Transition (E-CET) or the producers of this podcast.