Investigation into the potential shortfall of skilled and experienced test and power technicians across the generation industry

Abstract

The New Zealand Generation Industry is concerned there is going to be a potential shortage of Power Technicians whose skills are critical to the functioning of generation assets.

The systemic nature of the situation is recognised in the development of a framework that is used as both a diagnostic of the current situation and as a platform for future management. The framework is a synthesis of the Perpetual Inventory Model, Total Quality Management, Manpower Planning best practice and Capability Maturity Assessment, with the associated governance considerations being further addressed through the Viable Systems Model and the responsibility alignment tool RASCI.

The demographics of the current working population of Power Technicians were identified through the use of surveys and interviews. The results showed that there is an ageing cohort of Power Technicians in the South Island, especially within the Hydro-specific Power Technician resource pool. Recommendations have been made from both a short-term response to the current situation, as well as a long-t erm strategic response to ensure that management systems and business processes are in place to achieve the necessary and sustainable levels of Power Technicians across the industry.