An invisible industry

The electricity sector has been routinely described as an invisible industry. Both the nature of the work, and the careers, pathways and opportunities available are not obvious to those on the outside, and the value propositions that attracted the current ESI workforce are not as relevant to young people today. Visibility within the industry too is lacking, for example there is a lack of available data on ethnicity in the workforce, making it more difficult to quantify where to target initiatives to recruit more Māori.

Sustainability

The most compelling and visible proposition for these audiences is authentic sustainability. Younger audiences are acutely aware of the need to change toward more sustainable ways of living and working, and are seeking roles that contribute towards sustainable initiatives such as decarbonisation. However, few young people are aware of how New Zealand’s ESI is uniquely poised to demonstrate global sustainability excellence in transforming energy production and distribution.

Shifting stereotypes

The electricity sector can be perceived as a rugged and hardened outdoor lifestyle that no longer fits within modern workforce practices. Historically the sector (and the roles within it) has been depicted as predominantly male-centric. They noted the lack of female leadership and role models, and of the sheer lack of representation of Māori in the workforce, which creates feelings of isolation.

Short-term vs. long-term

The electricity sector is uniquely long-term in nature, offering employees the attraction of lifetime employment within a recession-proof sector. In contrast to this, employment forecasting and entrant intake seems shorter-term in nature, with evidence of long-term planning and workforce modelling difficult to discover. For instance, the industry is discussing decarbonisation, but there is no consensus on the impact this will have on future workforce demand.

Targeting tourism: life-long employment

A significant attraction to building a career inside the electricity sector is the opportunity to have a job for life within a recession-proof industry. Critically, the industry also presents many opportunities to live and work locally – both in urban and rural communities