Clean energy development in Canada could be jeopardized by shortage of skilled workers

A shortage of skilled workers in the electricity sector could jeopardize Canada’s ability to develop clean sources of energy. Over the next 10 years, 40% of all workers in the electricity sector plan to retire and 74% of the industry’s workers are over the age of 40. According to Canada’s Electricity Sector Council, more than 30% of companies that produce electricity do not have plans to manage this mass departure of workers. This will result in construction schedule delays, increased development costs, and smaller profit margins unless Canada is able to attract skilled workers from abroad.

Thousands of new green power projects are expected to be up and running between 2011 and 2013; however, educators, industry players and analysts are predicting a large gap between the demand and supply of trained staff for these projects. 

The potential shortage of skilled workers isn’t only expected to affect Canada but the U.S. as well. The issue will "threaten to compromise North America's ability to capitalize on clean energy," said the Canada-U.S. Clean Energy Dialogue, which was set up in 2009 and is responsible for expanding clean energy research and development in the two countries.

The 2010 Canada-U.S. Clean Energy Dialogue Forum produced a report on the human resources best practices and recommendations raised during the forum, which was held last February in Toronto. These recommendations include engaging in strategic workforce planning, creating a culture of safety, promoting opportunities in the electricity sector, appealing to the interests and values of young people, enhancing workforce diversity, and transferring knowledge from senior workers to younger employees.

Now that technology and infrastructure can deliver on the promise of clean energy, the hope is that the workforce can deliver as well to help accelerate progress towards clean energy goals.