Alan Manning, Terry Brueck, Marcia Isbell, and Penny Brink

OBJECTIVES:

The objectives of this project were to identify (1) future labor pools for engineer and operator positions; (2) utilities' short and long term needs for operators and engineers; (3) "attractors" that will draw the younger generations to utilities as a highly desired place of employment; (4) recruiting, training, and retention methods that have elicited successful results in other industries and guidelines for applying those strategies in the utility industry; (5) recommendations for improvements in training and certification programs; and (6) elements of utility culture that will build an organization's reputation as an employer of choice to multiple generations of employees.

BACKGROUND:

Several factors are converging simultaneously to create a "perfect storm" in today's utility workforce: the mass exodus of utility employees that is anticipated due to retirement in the next 10 years, the increasing diversity in the current workforce, fewer U.S. college graduates earning science or technical degrees, and values differences in younger generations of employees entering the labor market. A shift in approach to utility operations is required in order to be prepared for this pending labor crisis.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Utilities are understaffed most particularly in engineer and operator positions.

Salary and benefits offered by a utility are the primary attractors for both engineers and operators currently employed by the utility.

Students (still enrolled in college) and young professionals (under aged 30 working in the utility industry) agreed that the top three attractors to a position are work that enables learning and growth, work that is enjoyable, and work that is personally stimulating.

In other industries, the most effective recruiting strategies for engineers are Internet job sites, private employment agencies, and employee referrals.

The most effective retention strategies identified in other industries are flexible work schedule, the on-boarding experience, gifts tied to tenure, and mentoring.

There are three new pools of potential workers: retirees working full or part time, displaced workers as a result of plant closings or layoffs, and military veterans ranging in age from 25 through 54. All may be valid options for utilities to explore.

APPROACH:

Primary research consisted of a survey of utilities that identified the current state of the industry in terms of success of recruiting, training, and retaining operators and engineers. Also, interaction with students and young professionals took place, first in a "reverse career fair" conducted at ACE and WEFTEC that involved completion of an online survey that assessed important job factors for the GEN Y population and then in focus groups also conducted at ACE and WEFTEC.

Secondary research was conducted that included identifying successful recruitment and retention strategies from other industries and completing a demographic analysis on new and existing pools of potential workers as well as channels to reach those pools. The results of the research were then compiled into industry-wide and utility specific strategies for recruiting and retaining engineers and operators.

RESULTS/FINDINGS:

Actions to address the labor situation can be industry-wide or utility-specific, and target actions at the awareness, policy and regulation, and practice level, as shown below.

Industry-Wide

Awareness—Bring industry organizations together to market the attractors of the utility industry such as "caretakers of the environment" or "using cutting edge technologies"

Policy or Regulation—Develop standard certification reciprocity agreements between states to broaden the pools of candidates in specific job markets

Practice—Develop standard training programs at the section or region level for leadership, apprenticeships, and other curricula that can be used by many utilities

Utility-Specific

Awareness—Brand your utility by passively advertising the attractors to your organization on buses and billboards

Policy or Regulation—Streamline hiring policies such as residency requirements to broaden applicant pools

Practice—Develop relationships with educational institutions from elementary schools through universities to nurture a deep and broad pool of potential employees

IMPACT:

Utilities must begin to develop a workforce strategy as a key component of their strategic business planning in order to ensure a sustainable workforce. Utilities, states, and sections must collaborate to develop shared, re-usable, and rapidly dispersed approaches for apprenticeships, training and certification programs, and public awareness campaigns.

New methods of recruiting workers to the industry must be developed now to effectively meet the shift anticipated in 2012 when there are more jobs in the United States than there are skilled people to fill those jobs. This report provides highly actionable strategies to assist the industry in getting started with this critical endeavor.

MULTIMEDIA:

A "mini-assessment" of workforce practices is on the CD-ROM included with this report. This interactive tool with 15 questions points the user to strategies included in the report that may improve their results in a specific practice area.

RESEARCH PARTNER:

USEPA

PARTICIPANTS:

Utilities from the United States and Canada participated in this project.