The utility industry is undergoing one of its most transformative periods—driven by regulatory shifts, rapid tech advancement, and changing customer expectations. To help address these challenges, Utility 2030 Collaborative (U2030) and Energy Central launched “Rethinking Utility Priorities: Bold Utility Leadership,” a year-long research initiative sponsored by HSI. Insights as part of this project are gathered through executive interviews, interactive webinars, surveys, and research—with final findings and results encapsulated in a white paper and in a special session at the Utility 2030 annual SPARK event.
As part of this broader initiative, Mike Smith, Principal Utility 2030 recently moderated a Power Talk with two industry experts—Alan Hair, Technical Training Manager at CenterPoint Energy, and Mark Streifel, Managing Director of Industrial Skills at HSI—to explore the evolving dynamics of utility workforce leadership. While the discussion tackled immediate challenges—like skills gaps, recruitment hurdles, and training models—it also uncovered broader insights about what bold leadership will require to successfully guide utilities through this period of disruption and emerge stronger on the other side.
Redefining Reliability in a Shifting Grid
Utility leaders are walking a tightrope—balancing an ambitious shift to renewables with rising demand from electric vehicles, data centers, and connected infrastructure. Traditional baseload generation is being replaced with intermittent renewables and more distributed generation models, often in urban centers where demand is highest. This isn’t just a technical challenge; it’s a strategic one.
“The shift towards renewable energy sources like solar and wind presents both opportunities and challenges,” said Allen Hair, Technical Training Manager at CenterPoint Energy. “Utilities need to understand the integration with these intermittent sources into the grid while ensuring stability and reliability.”
At the heart of the issue is a truth that utility veterans know well: you can’t compromise reliability. Customers still expect the lights to turn on and the grid to withstand severe weather—even if the generation mix and system architecture are entirely different from a decade ago.
“We’re moving toward sustainability while demand is growing—but we don’t want to give up what we’ve hung our hat on for 110 years,” Mike Smith, panel moderator reflected during the conversation. “That’s the trick.”
Adding to the complexity is the aging and overloaded transmission infrastructure.
As Mark Streifel, Managing Director of Industrial Skills at HSI, explained, “The grid, the transmission lines in particular, can’t handle much more where they are. So we’ve got to get the generation closer to the demand areas.”
The future grid must deliver the same—or better—levels of reliability, but under completely new operating conditions. That’s where bold leadership comes in: not just to manage the shift, but to redefine what reliability means in a rapidly evolving energy landscape.
A Workforce Built for What’s Next
The grid isn’t the only thing transforming. The utility workforce is undergoing a major reset. A wave of retirements has ushered in a younger generation of workers, many of whom enter the field with different expectations, skill sets, and learning styles.
As Allen Hair of CenterPoint Energy explained, “We’re flipping the script. The gray hair tsunami started about five to ten years ago, and now the workforce is becoming a lot younger.”
This shift is creating a growing need for task-based training, agile onboarding programs, and more targeted upskilling. Full apprenticeships aren’t always feasible—or attractive—to new hires who expect to grow quickly in their roles.
Mark Streifel of HSI put it plainly: “We don’t have the kind of time—nor do we even have the culture—where new employees want to be an apprentice or get paid at that level for two years. They want instant satisfaction in their job.”
Utilities are responding by breaking down roles into core competencies and building training around real-world applications—not just theory.
“We’re seeing a lot more task training,” Streifel continued. “You train someone to do one thing, then give them another skill two weeks later, and over time they build up to full qualification.”
But this model comes with tradeoffs. When employees learn in fragmented tasks, they may miss out on the holistic systems knowledge critical for effective troubleshooting and critical thinking. This is especially important given the changes in grid operations that are happening today.
“We can teach people to do jobs and tasks,” Streifel noted, “but then they struggle with troubleshooting because they don’t see how all the pieces integrate.”
The challenge isn’t just training someone to do a job—it’s preparing them to understand how all the parts work together. And in an industry built on complex systems and interdependencies, that broader understanding can make all the difference.
Beyond Technical Skills: What Today’s Workforce Really Needs
While advanced technologies like AI, virtual reality, and digital twins are gaining traction, the most elusive skills aren’t always technical. Utilities are in serious need of applied math skills, troubleshooting capability, adaptability, and strong communication—skills that are increasingly difficult to find in younger hires.
“The number one [skill gap] is always math,” said Mark Streifel of HSI. “We don’t teach applied math anymore—how to actually use it in the field. That’s hurting our ability to find people with strong troubleshooting skills.”
Soft skills matter more than ever, especially as field and control room roles become more complex. Whether it's a data analyst interpreting grid behavior or a technician working with distributed assets, today's employees need to think critically and adapt quickly.
Allen Hair emphasized that it’s not just about technical qualifications, but mindset: “Utility workers must possess a solid foundation of technical skills relative to the field—but also the ability to critically think and solve problems efficiently.”
He added that adaptability has become one of the most valuable traits in a modern utility employee: “From where I was 30 years ago to where we are today, the new technology and regulations have changed so much. You’ve got to be ready to evolve with the industry.”
Winning the Talent Game
Recruitment is no longer just an HR function—it’s a strategic imperative. Utilities that succeed in attracting and retaining talent are deeply engaged with trade schools, community colleges, and even high schools, often creating internship pipelines and hands-on preview programs.
Allen Hair emphasized this grassroots approach: “We go into high schools and tell students, ‘This is what you can make as a utility worker.’ And their eyes light up. They didn’t know these opportunities existed.”
Trade schools in particular are proving to be a critical gateway.
“I’d much rather have those partnerships with trade schools,” Hair added, “because then they’re being exposed to what we do—often before they’ve committed to a career path.”
Mark Streifel echoed this sentiment: “Down here on the Gulf Coast, the refineries have a grip on the P-TECH programs. We have to tell our utility clients, ‘You need to get in there too. Show these students there’s more than just refinery jobs.’”
There’s also a cultural piece: today’s workforce wants more than just a paycheck.
“You want to make your company desirable,” Hair stressed. “If people don’t want to work for you, that word spreads just as fast as when they do.”
Utilities that build this kind of culture—and tell that story effectively—will have a serious edge.
What Bold Leadership Requires
• Knowing exactly what skills your organization needs—and when.
• Identifying where those skills exist inside and outside the industry.
• Creating environments where people want to stay—and grow.
The future of energy won’t just be powered by renewables or digital systems. It will be powered by people—skilled, motivated, and forward-thinking. Bold leadership starts by investing in them.
About the Initiative
Rethinking Priorities: A Bold Approach to Utility Leadership is a year-long research initiative from U2030 and Energy Central. This program provides executives with actionable insights to navigate shifting industry priorities.
Through research reports, virtual discussions, and a panel at the U2030 Annual SPARK Meeting, we are poised to help utility leaders assess, adjust, and realign their focus as the market evolves.
Thanks to our Supporting Sponsor.
