Director’s Corner

by Brian Anderson, Ph.D.

At NETL, we conduct our research with a goal of having impact. We’re working hard to drive innovation and deliver solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. We’re advancing innovations that will ensure affordable, reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle and enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans. We conduct our research with a goal of making people’s lives better and providing real-world benefits. 

A key part of achieving this goal is successfully commercializing and deploying energy technologies, and that’s one reason we created the Regional Workforce Initiative (RWFI). This initiative is building a platform for regional stakeholders to engage the Laboratory and other federal agencies in collaborative workforce development efforts, like identifying skills and training gaps with respect to energy and advanced manufacturing jobs, and providing an opportunity to leverage federal activities related to workforce development and infrastructure. Through the RWFI, we’re catalyzing research investments into enduring economic development and workforce opportunities for the Appalachian region and the nation. 

Throughout April, we’re featuring recent work and successes from the NETL RWFI including: 

• How our experts predict regional and national energy workforce needs to paint a picture of the future of manufacturing and energy jobs. 
• A look at how the power plant workforce will change in both the near- and long-term, as markets shift toward renewables, new technologies and operations emerge and workplace demographics and expectations evolve. 
• An NETL-supported technical education program in central Appalachia that will deliver customized training and prepare workers for careers that require advanced welding and manufacturing skills.

I invite you to read these and other stories on our website. 

Workforce and economic development stakeholders can also learn more about funding opportunities, upcoming meetings and conferences, reports and resources, and other energy workforce related information through the NETL RWFI E-Note Monthly newsletter.