Expected growth in the energy sector is threatened by a looming workforce shortage, warned witnesses at a November 6 U.S. Senate Natural Resources Committee hearing. “We are facing a critical shortage and it’s getting worse by the day,” said Jim Hunter, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers’ utility department director. Nearly half the workers in the energy industry, including power plant and pipeline operators, linesman, and refinery workers, are eligible for retirement over the next five years. Young workers are not coming into the field to fill the gap, according to agency officials and industry representatives. Department of Energy and Department of Labor directors, as well as lawmakers, called for an image makeover to attract young professionals and college and high school graduates to the power business. Senator Lisa Murkoskwi (R-AK) said a “cool” image, which translates into a “sick” image in today’s youth’s vernaculars should be promoted. She added that the lawmakers lost a golden opportunity the previous day to promote interest in energy sector jobs. About 6,000 high school and college kids went to the nation’s capital to insist that politicians take action against climate change. Students spoke about climate change impacts during a November 5 House Select Global Warming Committee meeting. Later they joined a press conference at the Capitol. One hopeful area is climate change, which “is spurring a lot of interest in green energy,” pointed out Elaine DeRocco, Labor Department assistant secretary. The energy field’s unsexy image was not cited as the cause of the workforce problem. Witnesses pointed to the industry downturn and layoffs in the 1980s and 1990s. The industry also suffers from a national deficiency of students well versed in math and science, and competition from other industries. About 90 percent of the energy sector’s jobs require a secondary education. Renewable and nuclear energy are expected to see the largest growth. However, Senator Ron Wyden (R-OR) warned that the Bush administration’s support for expanded nuclear power could undermine the development of solar and wind power and biofuels. “The government needs to be more proactive on workforce investment needs,” he said, adding, “I don’t want renewable energy to get the short end of the stick.” Some urged the Department of Energy to support legislation by Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) promoting green job training in regions suffering from underemployment and unemployment. Industry detractions include the lack of a “recognizable career ladder,” according to DeRocco. She added that new workers need to have “portable skills” to protect themselves against industry downturns. Industry representatives called for more private-public partnerships and long-term funding for university research on alternative technologies, including carbon sequestration and advanced nuclear technology. Murkowski and others agreed that the outreach efforts should be targeted to venues and media that draw young people, including via iPods, YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook. In addition, the industry and agencies need to try and get grammar school kids interested in the energy business to draw young workers into the energy field.
