Artificial intelligence can close skills gap

Artificial intelligence can help close gaps in skills.

That was the takeaway message from a panel of AI experts speaking at Utility Week Live.

Scott Broadley, director at FYLD – a digital platform that transforms video and audio footage into real-time workflows, video risk assessments and analytics – explained that AI can spot gaps in an individual employee’s knowledge and fill in the blanks with best practice learnt from colleagues.

“Using AI, you can ask what [a particular operative] does differently to the rest of your team that is driving performance,” Broadley said. “AI can help close the skills gap.”

That gap is a major issue. According to the Energy & Utilities Skills Partnership, the sector needs to recruit 277,000 new workers in the next decade and more than 76% of leaders in the utilities sector are concerned about the availability of key skills, especially digital skills.

SSEN Distribution managing director Chris Burchell recently said skills and the supply chain were “one of the things that keeps me awake at night”.

Stephen Haben, senior data science consultant at Energy Systems Catapult, told the Utility Week Live panel that while some utilities were able to recruit the data scientists they needed, many were experiencing profound shortages of staff with those types of skills.

Broadley added FYLD’s technology could help by capturing knowledge that might otherwise be lost when employees left the business and optimising processes out in the field using AI.

He added that making digital technology as user-friendly as possible was key to overcoming skills challenges in the energy transition.

“When it comes to readiness to use digital, user experience is key: how easy [the technology] … is to use, how familiar, so it feels like a messaging app,” Broadley said.

Engineers at utilities looking to stay one step ahead of the digital revolution could do worse than learning to program in Python, R or XL, said Haben. Python was now the top programming language engineers were learning, with R and XL coming joint second. “In terms of skills, Python is top,” Dr Haben said.

Liz Nash, learning and development manager at UK Power Networks, told the audience it was important to focus on bringing people with the company on the digital journey. “You shouldn’t force it. It takes time. It’s crucial to upskill employees if their jobs are going to change.

“When it comes to digital, we are making sure we are ahead of the curve and ready.”