FLATE-FESC Job Task Analysis for the Smart Grid Technician Program

FLATE, as part of a partnership with the Florida Energy Systems Consortium (FESC), will be coordinating an occupational analysis workshop for the Smart Grid Technician program in Florida. The workshop will be facilitated by the Advanced Technology Environmental and Energy Center (ATEEC) and sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). This is one of many Job Task Analysis (JTA) workshops being held across the country to better inform and guide our educational communities as they attempt to meet the emerging technician-level workforce demands in the area of energy technology.

There is an immediate need to facilitate the development of a trained and skilled workforce capable

of implementing a national clean-energy smart grid and providing for the next generation of skilled technicians, engineers and managers for the electric power industry. As the aging utility workforce moves toward retirement, it is essential to address these future shortages of skilled workers whose jobs are directly related to the national smart grid.

Participants will include 6-12 smart grid content experts from the education and industry realms as well as individuals who have an understanding of how existing courses for secondary students connect to students enrolling in Electrical Power Technology and Engineering Technology programs at the postsecondary level.  The workshop will take place over two days with the goal of gathering input on the real-world tasks and functions of the Smart Grid Technician job. This effort will help inform future educational offerings as well as determining how best to target available resources to develop an education or training program that is based on local industry needs, and that will help educate our local community’s workforce.

To learn more about Smart Grid, visit https://www.smartgrid.gov/the_smart_grid.  For more information, please contact Dr. Marilyn Barger, executive director of FLATE at mbarger@hccfl.edu.