For years there’s been talk about “the Great Crew Change” in the energy sector, with a larger number of experienced, well-seasoned veterans leaving the industry than fresh, new faces coming in. Nearly every organization and company has a training and retention program to some degree, but how effective is it, is it strong enough to stave off the gaping chasm the myriad of retirees is leaving, and what opportunities are available?

FUEL magazine conducted a poll asking visitors the biggest challenge they face today in their sector of the energy business. The largest percentage (33%) responded “people shortage,” with “cost of resources/materials” coming in at a close second (30%). The least important factor affecting respondent’s business operations is the “distance among peers and customers,” (4%) which is indicative of increased technologies (Internet, e-mail, Web casts, video conferencing, BlackBerrys) and reduced “internationalism” that allow us to do our jobs from any corner of the globe (and beyond, in some cases). Ranking in the middle of the poll were public policy (19%) with public perception (15%) a little less of a challenge. With so many regulations, various forms of government, different environmental and permit-related needs, conducting business internationally can indeed get bureaucratic. FUEL magazine’s September cover story will bring in-depth coverage to the challenges and solutions of conducting overseas business in the energy sector and what some organizations are doing to help ease some of the red tape.

What about you? What challenges do you face in the workforce with your company, how do you feel they can be addressed?

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 14th, 2008 at 8:25 am and is filed under Management. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.