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2021 Predictions and Trends – The pandemic forever changed how we train, and the election results may bring about new climate change legislation
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This item is part of the Special Issue - 2021-01 - State of the Industry, click here for more
As a tumultuous 2020 finally came to an end, we look at 2021 with guarded optimism. The pandemic, political upheaval and social unrest marked 2020 as one we would just as soon forget but also respect as a valuable teaching experience as we look to 2021 and beyond. Two trends impacting the electric utility and energy industries stand out most glaringly: (1) changes to how we train as a result of the pandemic, and (2) the political shift in Washington resulting in new climate change legislation.
The pandemic forever changed how we train
For the electric utility industry, much like many other industries, personnel training during the pandemic took on a new format, with courses and live simulations conducted remotely and online. While the quick pivot and leveraging of remote technologies was impressive, not all participants enjoyed the same benefits. As system operations personnel were either sequestered together with their shift partners or forced to work remotely, utilities sometimes struggled to provide initial training for new hires and grappled to deliver effective On-the-Job Training (OJT). Thankfully, the industry reacted, adapted, and eventually overcame those challenges. Unfortunately, initial and on-the-job training challenges will likely persist as we anxiously begin to navigate this new year with the awareness of our vulnerabilities to the emergence of a new pandemic.
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According to Marcus Casey of the Brookings Institute, we will likely realize a remote learning component going forward as a part of training models ranging from higher learning institutions to vocational job training. The challenge lies in providing adequate training for employees entering the utility workforce as their first career or transitioning from jobs displaced by the pandemic.
Additionally, as Marcus Greene of Ascentis, writing for TrainingIndustry.com tells us, the use of informal and untracked training is no longer enough, given the challenges of remote learning during the pandemic. This is yet another change we can expect to see more of - the use of Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) compliance. These training platforms allow employers to manage and deliver more structured, standardized, and repeatable training, especially for initial and OJT. Hopefully, this positive impact will be felt not only in the energy industry, but across most of the workforce.
Political shift, climate change legislation renaissance and how will it impact our industry
If pandemics and social unrest weren’t enough, the energy industry must also prepare for what the political shift in Washington, DC has in store, given its preference for climate change legislation. Sweeping environmental legislation might not be as easy to achieve given the close numbers in the House and Senate. Even if the Biden administration decides to initiate bold executive actions, these can be easily overturned by any future Republican administrations. Ted Norhaus and Alex Trembath of the Breakthrough Institute, writing for Persuasion, share the idea that the only way forward is for executive actions and legislation that paves the way for federal technology procurement. They also go on to say that as nascent technologies become available, federal incentives to procure and develop these will be highly innovative and game changing for the industry. However, these small steps may not be enough to satisfy most in the environmental community. To succeed, an effective climate response needs support from a variety and often opposing group of stakeholders and economies.
In addition, President-elect Joe Biden can unleash a $7.8 trillion electric infrastructure investment. Plans in this study allude to modernizing aging infrastructure, expanding capacity, and access to renewable energy zones. Accomplishing these plans, however, call for regulatory changes ushered in by new mandates imposed by the Department of Energy, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the Department of the Interior. There is no question there will be new climate change legislation. Perhaps, not as drastic as originally feared by some, but hopefully beneficial to the industry as well as the economy.
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State of the Industry 2021
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