How Can We Accelerate Learning for the Green Energy Workforce Transformation?
James Altman
Accelerating and empowering learning teams. Reinventing learning design with AI. Focused on the clean energy workforce transition.
I’m on a learning journey, again. Maybe you are interested in coming along with me??I’ll not bury the lede, so you can judge whether you want to. Or not.
Facts:
I’ve started to develop a rough “research question.” If you’ve met with me recently, you’ve heard it. Thankfully, I have some amazing and generous people already helping think through this challenge. THANK YOU to: Kristen Hagerty Joe Sarubbi Esther Boyd Hailey Moll Laure-Jeanne Davignon Daniel Goldsmith Pagan Poggione
Here is the rough research question:
“Can the good work in learning that we’ve been lucky to have been involved with for a couple decades help with #2 and #3 above?”
Soon, I hope to refine this question down into more of a hypothesis. For now, I have a Mad Libs version of that hypothesis:
Mad Libs Hypothesis:
How can the principles and practices of designing learning, developing courses, launching learning programs, running a learning company, etc. be adapted to harness the potential of
?____(a feature or aspect of AI and its implementation in learning)____?
in order to address the pressing challenges posed by climate change by accelerating the learning needed for?
___(a specific field, set of skills, or sub-industry)____?
that needs to scale immediately.
Bridging the Gap: Learning Online and In-Field Applications
As someone dedicated to creating the best possible learning experiences, I understand the importance of practical, hands-on training, especially in fields like wind turbine technology. But to meet the need, the training needs to scale. To scale, we need to be online. Sure, we can teach (and assess on) concepts, terminology, safety etc. All of that is relatively trivial (and often boring) in online learning. I’m much more invested in the development of real, applicable skills. That often requires a combination of both online and field-based learning. Since I’m currently focused on creating online learning solutions that effectively support green energy jobs and facilitate workforce development, I need to find the areas where that works best. I’m putting out the ideas below in order to process what I’m learning from great people, and for feedback from others that I’ve yet to meet.?
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Understanding the Green Energy Sector
Let’s dive into the diverse skill sets required to drive this industry forward. From financial understanding to technical implementation, the spectrum of skills needed is broad and varied.?
First, anything connected to unions, regulated fields, or that require official certification (like electrician training) may need to be a formalized apprenticeship. We’d love to help in that area, but that isn’t our specialty. However, that wouldn't be true for all roles, and that would vary by company. Many companies are not set up to have any apprenticeships and do all of their training in-house. That is clearly an area, albeit broad, where online training can help. I’m hoping to break it down even more. Here is some of the advice I’ve gotten so far.
Green Energy Career Pathways
Before people even get to the point where they need the specific skills for their new green energy job, they might need help simply to find which area interests them, or makes the most sense for them to join. There are already some great green energy workforce pipelines that I’m learning about, and I think we could help them scale their learning operations. I’d also bet that many new pathways and pipelines will be starting up and it would be a shame if each one had to do that whole reinventing the wheel thing!
New Green Technology Roll Out
When rolling out new green technologies, ensuring that employees and dealer networks are well-informed is crucial. For instance, consider the launch of a new line of high-efficiency electric vehicles. Employees need to understand the unique features, battery technology, and charging infrastructure to effectively communicate these benefits to customers. Similarly, dealer networks must be trained to handle maintenance and troubleshooting for these advanced vehicles.
Another example is the introduction of smart home energy systems that optimize electricity usage. Training is essential here to teach installers how to set up and configure these systems, as well as educate users on maximizing energy savings.
In both cases, targeted training programs and continuous learning opportunities can bridge knowledge gaps, ensuring successful adoption and customer satisfaction with the new green technologies.
Administrative and Logistical Training for Solar and Wind Projects
I’ve also learned that there is a lot of work before and around installing solar and wind projects that is logistical and administrative. Companies should probably be offering training for new hires, and for reskilling and upskilling in these areas. These roles should know all the detailed specifics about how the systems work and how they are installed but don't need to be certified as electricians or be licensed to use the tools to install them.
I’m also wondering about other areas, below.
Want to help?
If you are involved in any of these, and have an opinion on the opportunities for scaling training, can you let me know!?
Other Less Technical Green Energy Skills: