TRAINING the electrical talent of tomorrow is ‘essential’ if Scotland is to address the current skills shortage and meet its net zero targets.
That’s the view of SELECT MD Alan Wilson, who insists training for electricians must be prioritised to help counter the nation’s ‘shrinking talent pool’ and there must be greater support for businesses diversifying into renewable energy.
Speaking in a video as part of a new UK-wide digital campaign, Mr Wilson says plenty of apprentices join the industry each year – but it is still not enough to counter an ageing workforce and a rising number of retirements.
He said, “There’s not a shortage of electrical apprentices – indeed for every apprenticeship, it’s probably fair to say we have four or five applicants. However, the fact is that we do have a skills shortage of qualified electricians in Scotland, with the average age of an electrician now 34 and a number of people coming to the end of their career.
“As fossil fuels run out, changes to government policy mean you can’t install gas products or must change to an electric vehicle, but how are we going to actually maintain that? If we don’t get the skilled workforce we need, how are we going to make sure there are enough people around to install these products?
“We have to focus on training young people and adult trainees on the fundamentals of electrical installation work, doing it competently, safely and then, if necessary, we can upskill them on the new technologies that are required. It’s also important that support is given to businesses who want to branch out into other parts of work.”
The warning comes in a video for Electrifying Our Future, a digital campaign from SELECT’s southern counterpart, the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA), that explores the role of the electrical industry in delivering the UK’s net zero ambitions
In the film – called The Status of Electrical Engineering Talent – Mr Wilson says the pool of potential electricians has halved in his lifetime, telling viewers, “When I was born, you had 100,000 people potentially to recruit, but you’re now looking at a pool of 50,000. And if we look at the elephant in the room, which is the gender problem in the sector where we’re only recruiting 2% or 3% of women, that means predominantly businesses are now fishing in a pond of 25,000 compared to 50,000 or 60,000 just a few years ago.”
In a call to potential new recruits, Mr Wilson said there has never been a better time to join the electrical contracting industry. “Increasingly, everything is becoming dependent on electricity, whether it be our transport, heat, power or light. So from a career progression perspective, joining the electrical sector now and looking at what’s going to happen in the next five, ten or 15 years, the sky’s the limit for people joining this sector.”
SELECT is a strategic partner in the new ECA campaign. Produced with creative agency Content With Purpose, it includes films and interviews on topics such as the rise of green technologies, the need for skilled workers, and the evolving role of electrical contractors on the path to a net zero future.
- Watch the video here.
