全球智库信息集成服务系统

Four Drivers Motivate Innovation in the Energy Sector

• Innovation in the energy sector that affects necessary workforce skills can be organized into the following motivators: increasing productivity in energy extraction, minimizing risk of environmental damage and reducing emissions of carbon dioxide, integrating renewable energy into the grid, and improving energy end-use efficiency.

The Energy Sector Needs an Agile, Skilled Workforce to Adapt to Changes in Technology and Innovation

• Core competencies needed for the energy workforce to respond to technological innovations include content knowledge of the industry in question, transferable, hands-on skills, and soft skills or workplace competencies.

Five Practices Characterize Postsecondary Training and Education Programs That Best Meet the Needs of an Evolving Labor Market

• Postsecondary education and training programs that tend to be the most successful in adapting to evolving labor-market needs have well-developed mechanisms to anticipate demand for specific occupations by developing consistent, ongoing relationships with industry leaders; curricula that include occupation-specific and generic skills; complementary in-class and workplace learning opportunities; quality instructors with workplace and teaching experience; and ongoing quality-assurance processes.

Case-Study Analysis of Southwestern Pennsylvania's Regional Education and Training Providers Reveal That They Display Some Aspects of the Five Promising Practices

• Mechanisms for anticipating occupation demands through relationships with industry leaders were not typically ongoing.
• Curricula across the institutions included occupation-specific and generic skills, but delivery varied.
• Workplace learning opportunities to complement in-class opportunities were not evident.
• Hiring quality instructors with workplace and teaching experience has proven difficult.
• Programs need to undertake ongoing quality-assurance practices.