Human resources
Failure to cultivate a large and skilled workforce could threaten to derail the
rapid rise of biomass and renewable heating, warns Andy Boroughs, managing
director of Organic Energy
very industry, and every sector within every industry,
goes through cycles. There are ups and downs, pressures,
perception issues, quality problems, changing political and
economic climates – you name it.
The test of success is how well this is managed. How
the predictable problems can be avoided or, even better, turned into
positives.
Renewable heating has powered ahead. Speaking for my own
business, we are the fastest-growing supplier of OkoFEN wood pellet
boilers among all of our European peers. The increase we have seen
in demand is huge. We won’t be alone in this as many parts of the
sector are enjoying the benefits of rapidly dawning realisation among
both commercial and domestic customers that renewable energy is a
credible, realistic and sensible way forward for them.
E
Renewables employs about 110,000 people,
but that’s forecast to reach 400,000 by
2020
To my mind the biggest threat, the easiest way to undo some of
this progress, is to fail to support it with a skilled, motivated workforce,
equipped to provide customer service that goes beyond the traditional
models. We’re going to need a lot of people – renewables employs
about 110,000 people now across the supply chain, but that’s forecast
to reach 400,000 by 2020. Unfortunately we can’t just get those people
‘off the shelf’ and perhaps nor should we want to. Those of us who
have driven the move to renewables need to stand behind the spread
of knowledge now and make sure that we train our new workforce
thoroughly and equip them well.
We are at that stage as a sector now where a backlash is possible
as our threat to the established heat and power suppliers and
manufacturers becomes more and more significant. They will jump on
any weakness and will not be shy about exploiting it. In fact, if we fail
to deliver on the promise through poor performance no-one will need to
lead the charge; the damage will be self-inflicted.
While renewables has enjoyed a long purple patch in the media,
there is a well trodden cycle of being lauded, questioned, criticised then
damned in the press before things calm down again and the next new
thing comes along. Let us not provide a target for that.
To avoid the pitfalls we have to be the best. We need to provide
installations which deliver on their promise. Where there are challenges
in a project we need to meet and overcome them with a can-do
approach and then keep our focus on maintaining that enthusiasm
through our ongoing relationships with our customers.
Because we are at this point of needing to build a new workforce
we also have an opportunity to ensure there is a skills base that is
thoroughly fit for purpose. We can even work to correct some of the
imbalances traditionally seen in the national workforce; how about
going out of our way to make renewable energy technical roles appeal
to women? We have a chance to change the legacy of gas engineers
and central heating installers being pretty much an all male industry.
If we fail to deliver on our promise through
poor performance no-one will need to lead
the charge
Young blood: The renewable heating sector’s reputation remains fragile
whilst sufficient numbers of skilled installers are still being built up,
argues Organic Energy’s MD Andy Boroughs
When we send out into the marketplace an army of customer
service-oriented, technically skilled, well-presented and capable
problems solvers we will be setting out our stall every time they come
into contact with our customers.
Such an approach positions the entire sector in the most positive
way. Gone are the days of overalls, dirty rags and oily hands – we are
the future and we’re in your home or business making things work
the way they should. That’s a story to tell and it’s one that the next
generation of technicians and engineers will be enthused to be part of
if we get it right now!
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