Power Academy
Why was it established?
The Power Academy is a unique partnership between industry and academia to address the looming skills shortage in the power-engineering sector through a combination of financial support and workplace mentoring for students.
Around 25 per cent of the industry’s most experienced and senior engineers, who keep the country’s electricity networks running, will retire within the next 5-10 years, with little sign that they are being replenished. It is estimated that the industry needs a minimum of 200 new power engineers each year to sustain itself; and, prior to the launch of Power Academy, the number of students entering power-engineering courses each year had been declining.
The Power Academy aims to attract more students to power engineering courses with an attractive mix of financial incentives, technical training and business education. Southampton University, one of the partnering universities, has already seen a 31% increase in students applying for power engineering courses. The Academy also promotes the opportunities for an exciting and rewarding career in the power industry.
Power engineers are responsible for the design and implementation of large-scale infrastructure projects that power the nation and are employed by, amongst others, the major electricity network companies. The Power Academy will help ensure there are sufficient engineers entering the industry to meet future needs, by co-ordinating cooperation between the electricity network companies and university engineering departments.