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SKILLS DEFICIT LOOMING IN THE EUROPEAN ELECTRICITY SECTOR
The European electricity industry faces a looming skills deficit, in various employment areas across the occupational span of the industry. This point is underlined in a joint statement issued this week on the Future Skills Needs in the European Electricity Sector recently approved by the social partners in the electricity industry – Union of the Electricity Industry EURELECTRIC representing employers and EPSU/EMCEF for the trade unions. Last year The Electricity Training Association represented the UK on the skills project.
Based on the findings of a recent study, partly financed by the European Commission within the European level “social dialogue” framework, the joint statement sets out the main conclusions of the research. Two aspects are especially notable.
First, a skills deficit is emerging in the context of an overall decline in essential technical and technological (crafts and engineering) employment. In part, this is reflected in the ageing profile of the electricity industry. Second, there is a growing shortfall in meeting the demand for new skills (sales, trading, commercial activities, and customer-oriented skills) that are integral to the emergent European electricity industry. One consequence of these two related developments is the need for long-term training planning. Central to addressing these issues should be a commitment to the “management of change”, the report suggests.
The study makes an analysis of the structure of the industry; looks at the national Vocational Education and Training (VET) systems and employment data; the occupational structure, training and future of the companies; and draws on interviews with the social partners at company level and interviews with employees from selected occupational areas.
These data are complemented by policy, research and related materials, including previous studies commissioned by EU bodies and/or the social partners in the electricity industry.
To address this apparent skills gap, the social partners have agreed a framework of actions including: reflection on the most appropriate way to continue monitoring the situation; the idea of exploring with the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP) means of developing a framework for training which could assist unions and employers; to encourage companies to develop models of competence management which co-operatively take into account both the needs of the business and the development of workforce skills; a recommendation to increase the number of technical & non technical apprenticeships or comparable training opportunities at all levels; to encourage companies to consider the impact of corporate restructuring on their skill-profile; to address the results of this study to the relevant national and European actors such as Government, national regulators and training bodies where these exist.
EPSU/EMCEF and EURELECTRIC have agreed to monitor developments in line with the statement and to evaluate the planned actions in three years’ time.
RACE AGAINST TIME FOR TRAINING SIMULATOR
A new tool for training power station operators can be set up anywhere in the world in less than an hour. The Empower Training Services power plant simulator has been designed for portability, so that generating plant scenarios can be quickly re-created for training on six laptop computers. These pack away into tailor made travelling cases for transport by road, rail or air, making them ideal for Empower’s overseas clients in the Middle East and South East Asia.
Once on site, the laptops are connected and the software loaded – a process that Empower staff can complete in as little as 36 minutes. They put the kit through its paces recently in an open day held jointly at the Empower Training Centre in Ratcliffe-on-Soar, Nottinghamshire, and at Nottingham Racecourse. Guests from companies including RWE npower, Scottish Power, EDF Energy and AFAQ-ETA were introduced to the simulator in the training centre, then while they toured the workshops and classrooms, Empower staff packed it up, drove it to the racecourse 10 miles away and set it up again, all in under an hour. The guests then arrived for a second session before enjoying an afternoon at the races.
Paul Tipper from the Empower training team said: “Until now, this type of programme has been run on a full-scale fixed simulator based on traditional power station control desks. There was no way something that size could be moved, so operators had to travel to training centres like ours when they needed to brush up their skills.”
The portable version reduces the time and money power companies have to spend on training, as it allows course to be run on the employer’s premises. The hardware is also a closer match for the ‘soft desk’ controls now used in many modern power stations.
The technology uses a Microsoft Windows platform to model all the systems and processes involved in power generation, allowing operators to learn and practice new techniques safely in a realistic environment. Controls and screens are configured to mimic those on units of up to 660MW, enabling trainees to see the consequences of their actions in real time – for example, when reacting quickly to a boiler tube leak during a unit run-up.
The software incorporates several hundred component faults and scenarios to test the skills of delegates and build their confidence so that they can run plant safely, efficiently and cost-effectively.
The portable simulator was developed by Paul Tipper, who has more than a decade’s worth of experience in power plant training, in conjunction with Mark Woodward from Hytec Electronics of Reading. Traditional ‘hard desk’ training is provided on Empower’s fixed simulators, which have also recently been upgraded. Built-in flexibility allows both portable and fixed simulators to be tailored to suit particular plants and specific scenarios, depending on the customer’s needs.
Safety Representative Training
AFAQ-ETA’s new training resource “Working Safely” is recommended for all safety representatives and company members of local HESACs. The interactive CD based course includes video commentary, self test questions and the latest legislation in respect of health and safety at work. It replaces the previous course offered by the Electricity Training Association. Further details are available from tyla.davis@afaq-eta.com
AFAQ-ETA will be sharing an exhibition stand with Empower at the POWER-GEN Conference and Exhibition in Bangkok from 5-7 October. The conference is dedicated to the power generation, transmission and distribution industry in Asia. For details of the event visit www.powergenasia.com
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