Shortage Of Skilled Workers Can Disrupt Clean Energy Development In Canada

03 Aug 2010

Canada is experiencing a shortage of skilled workers in the electricity sector. There is a high demand of trained staff for thousands of new green power projects which are expected to be up and running between 2011 and 2013. As per Canada’s Electricity Sector Council, there is a mass departure of workers in the electricity sector and 30% of the companies that produce electricity do not have plans in place.

Canada has to look up to attract skilled workers from abroad to avoid construction delays, increased development costs and smaller profit margins. The potential shortage of skilled workers is expected to affect US 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.

During last February, the Canada-U.S. Clean Energy Dialogue Forum produced a report which recommended the inclusion of creating a culture of safety, promoting opportunities in electricity sector, engaging in strategic workforce planning, 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.