Having worked in various energy fields my whole career I have been thinking about the workforce of the future needed to deliver net zero.  With the Green Jobs Taskforce that was launched in 2020 and the recent Chris Skidmore Net Zero report reiterating the need for support in the development of “green skills” there is acknowledgement of what is required but there doesn’t yet seem to be clarity as to how we will get there.

I know there are so many challenges but also opportunities in the energy transition journey with emerging essential fields such as hydrogen, energy storage, and carbon capture to name a few and although major advances have been made, there is much still left to do to drive real change but where do we get the workforce from to do this and how do we make sure that it consists of diverse voices that can develop the systems needed?

I do feel like (and have seen) that when diversity and inclusion is mentioned, there is some reluctance to participate but I firmly believe that if we don’t widen and engage more we will be missing out.

Have you ever looked back through your career and wondered what led you to where you are and whether you are where you are meant to be?  When I think back to first entering the workforce, I don’t think really had a 5/10/20 year plan.

I wonder whether if I had been more aware of the opportunities in low carbon fields what the outcome would have been. I am very happy with where I have found myself as each role has led me to where I am today. From oil and gas, power generation to sustainability then on to professional development and chartership.

I see passionate and motivated young people and think about how if that was combined with the benefits of the clarity and the awareness of opportunities for STEM in decarbonisation, the results would be undeniable.

I love talking about my career and how I got to where I am now and I hope this episode of Engineering Success in which I talk about my job as well as my previous roles and experiences can inspire someone:

https://www.jaemiehutton.com/erusaadizie

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6xfpPStmsOx2iZdwHSwwml

What are your thoughts – how can we drive the development of an inclusive and diverse workforce for a just energy transition?