Across the board, in the energy industry, there is a shortage of talent. Even in large metropolitan areas, plant operation positions remain unfilled for long periods of time. Worse, plants located in rural locales have an even smaller candidate pool due to their location. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, this wasn't the case. Having a position open for months was unheard of. Sadly, this is our reality for the foreseeable future.

All is not lost, though. In recent months, I have found success in finding a reliable source of candidates. These candidates come trained to work on large power generation equipment and are generally safety-conscious and disciplined. Who or what is this source of candidates? It's the United States Navy.

No surprise here, as I am a product of the U.S. Navy's gas turbine systems technician program. That technical field gave me the requisite background to find a job in the energy industry. While not the only technical field to draw candidates from, I look for training and experience as a U.S. Navy engineman, machinist mate, and boiler technician. Navy personnel in the nuclear power field are also great candidates and bring different perspectives from their non-nuclear counterparts.

“Across the board in the energy industry, there is a shortage of talent.”

Congruent to the U.S. Navy, candidates can also be found in the maritime academies. Arguably, the most well-known maritime academy in North America is the US Merchant Marine Academy in King’s Point, New York. There are six other state-run maritime academies, namely:

● California State University Maritime Academy – Vallejo, California

● Great Lakes Maritime Academy – Traverse City, Michigan

● Maine Maritime Academy – Castine, Maine

● Massachusetts Maritime Academy – Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts

● State University of New York (SUNY) Maritime College – Schuyler, New York

● Texas A&M Maritime Academy – Galveston, Texas

Graduates of the maritime academies typically have undergraduate degrees and practical experience since they have to embark on annual training tours on ships owned by the schools.

The U.S. Coast Guard and US Merchant Marines have very well-trained and experienced personnel as well. Due to their personnel numbers not being as large as the U.S. Navy’s, I have encountered only a handful of them looking for employment in the civilian world.

If you’re trying to fill your open operations and maintenance positions, the resources I mentioned are a good place to start.

Good luck!