Research Note: Competencies — Major Public Utility

An energy utility that provides electrical power and natural gas in the U.S. Pacific Northwest has an aging workforce and struggles to hire qualified entry-level employees for field work and substation operations. Only 45% of applicants meet basic pre-requisites and only 13% of applicants have enough qualifications to be hired. Half of field employees have less than six years of experience, so there is a critical need to find qualified people, train them and get field workers to a mastery level far faster than has been the norm. In addition to a shallow qualified candidate pool, the utility lacks experienced people with the depth of knowledge to move into leadership positions. There are also socioeconomic challenges. Despite starting wages ranging from $24 to $28 per hour that increase every six months, the high cost of living in much of the utility’s service region creates major recruiting challenges.

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