| Education & workforce development
Although many organisations believe that their workforce is agile enough to adapt their skillsets to new technologies and ways of working, it is specialist environmental skills that are lacking, as well as leadership skills – which was identified as the one of the three most common barriers for organisations in meeting net zero in seven countries. The survey also reveals over two thirds of companies
surveyed have a sustainability strategy, often in order to meet regulations for new markets. However, over 75% of respondents say they still need skills to deliver that strategy, including specialist sustainability skills and knowledge, and technical skills. Engineering employers surveyed overwhelmingly see collaboration with academia as important for delivering high quality engineering and technology candidates; when asked in which areas that education could improve, every country except Egypt had some form of collaboration in their three most commonly selected answers. These included offering industry placement years, research projects in collaboration with industry and undertaking industry-targeted projects. “This survey has shown us that there are significant levels of trepidation regarding the potential impact of climate change on engineering employers internationally,” says Dr Gopichand Katragadda, IET President. “The impact is already observable across supply chains, and goods and services becoming unavailable. This has led to greater concern over the skills that organisations are missing to be truly resilient to it.
“We hope that by launching the results of the survey we can bring the engineering skills conversation to the global stage, and encourage participants to see the value of engineers in solving climate change.”
Community support The Drax Foundation, the charitable arm of renewable
energy company Drax Group, is working to support STEM education and community projects and has donated £932,000 to 20 non-profit organisations operating in the UK and North America. Over 32,000 young people are set to benefit from STEM training, 1,229 hectares of land will be restored or protected, and more than 20,000 individuals will gain improved access to green spaces in their communities. The Drax Group has also joined forces with Glasgow Science Centre to introduce innovative hydropower education programmes for primary and secondary schools in Scotland. This collaboration aims to enhance STEM skills among students and inspire them to consider careers in the hydropower industry. Scotland’s hydropower sector is on a growth
trajectory. With plans underway to expand pumped storage hydro stations, including Drax’s Cruachan plant, it presents long-term career prospects in the field of renewable energy. The primary school programme is being conducted
through Glasgow Science Centre’s ‘Learning Lab’ and spans four to six weeks. It employs case studies of Drax’s Scottish assets to educate students on the operation of different hydropower forms, including pumped hydro and run-of-river plants. The programme includes class visits to the Glasgow Science Centre or on-site visits by the Science Centre’s On Tour team.
For secondary school students, there are STEM
Futures Work Readiness Workshops. These are designed for 15- to 18-year-old students and are conducted at Glasgow Science Centre. Participants collaborate to explore the career opportunities available in the Scottish hydropower sector and the necessary skills for accessing them. “The learning lab and workshop are pioneering
hydropower education programmes that will help students develop their STEM knowledge and hopefully get excited and interested in a career in hydropower,” says Sarah Cameron, Community Manager for Scotland at Drax Group. While Dr. Stuart Meiklejohn, STEM Futures Project
Coordinator at Glasgow Science Centre, says the unique nature of this partnership will deliver invaluable hydro-themed education resources. The launch of these programmes aligns with the Drax Foundation which recently provided funding for bursaries through EngineeringUK to support underrepresented young individuals in engineering careers. In addition, Drax also offers free educational tours of its Cruachan site in Argyll and Bute for schools. These give insights into engineering careers, pumped storage hydro operations, and how Cruachan contributes to achieving Net Zero targets.
US funding Meanwhile, over in the US, the Department of Energy’s
Water Power Technologies Office and Wind Energy Technologies Office have unveiled a US$14.5 million funding opportunity dedicated to foundational research at domestic institutions of higher education. This initiative aims to address challenges faced by the marine energy sector, fostering innovation and development. The funding initiative will support projects across the following four key areas: Publicly available data and test platforms, aiming to identify cost reductions and performance improvement pathways for marine energy devices. Exploring synergies between offshore wind and marine energy and aquaculture development. Supporting undergraduate senior design and/or research projects in marine energy. Plus an open topic area, allowing applicants to propose activities addressing marine energy industry needs not covered in other areas.
References
www.thalesgroup.com/en/ countries-europe/united-kingdom/ news/bridging-skills-gap-call- strengthened-engineering- education
https://www.theiet.org/media/ campaigns/engineering-kids- futures/
www.theiet.org/impact-society/ factfiles/innovation-and-skills- factfiles/international-skills- surveys/international-green-skills- 2023-survey/
www.waterpowermagazine.com | March 2024 | 31
Above: Cruachan Dam in the Scottish Highland. Drax offers educational tours and various workshops for local schools to help pupils explore the career opportunities available in the Scottish hydropower sector, and the skills required for accessing them
Below: The US Department of Energy is funding foundational research at higher education institutions to address challenges faced by the marine energy sector when fostering innovation and development
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