An electric future powered by qualified employees

Just as digitalization has revolutionized industry and manufacturing, it will also change the way we produce, distribute, store, and use energy. “Sustainability and energy efficiency are major challenges for our generation and all industries. When it comes to technical education, it's important to make young professionals aware of this and empower them for it,” says Dr. Hans Jörg Stotz, Member of the Management Board of Festo Didactic. As a leading solution provider in technical education with a strong corporate responsibility, the company is increasingly focusing on energy-related learning topics.

Festo Didactic leverages its expertise in electrical engineering to the benefit of educators around the world. The company recently introduced several learning solutions that enable trainees to develop knowledge and relevant skills in key technical areas. In doing so, it is promoting sustainability – for example, in wind and solar power generation, power grid modernization and smart grid, building automation, lighting and HVAC systems, energy storage, electric car charging stations, and electric drives and industrial controls.

Changing job profiles require new skills

Industrial and commercial uses of electricity are driving the transformation of the energy industry. Many new career paths are emerging from the broad discipline of electrical engineering – from actual skilled electrical workers to workers in other technical disciplines who need to be upskilled in energy topics.

Expanding training in electrical engineering

“Workers need to develop T-shaped profiles. This means acquiring a large general knowledge base on various energy topics – especially electricity – and deep expertise in a specific area. Technical skills are important, but so are soft skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, and adaptability. Leadership skills are essential for working in the energy landscape of the future,” says Michel Lessard, head of the electrical engineering product area at Festo Didactic.

Technical education plays a prominent role in preparing employees for the challenges of energy issues. Educators can rely on modern and stimulating learning solutions from Festo Didactic to promote the appropriate skills and engage learners with interactive training and integrative learning systems. Hands-on experimentation on modern training systems combines eLearning, simulation tools, and virtual and augmented reality to adapt to different learning contexts and styles. Lessard comments, “The high modularity of our learning solutions, coupled with turnkey pedagogical content and supported by modern tools, enables trainers to meet different training needs in stimulating learning environments.”

Educational and industrial solutions

Festo Didactic is a global education and training provider with an industrial DNA. This ensures better alignment between education and industry, as well as added value for customers. “Together with Festo's automation division, which is also increasingly focusing on electrical automation, Festo Didactic is in an ideal position to promote and support electrical engineering education in schools and industry worldwide to create an electrical future,” adds Dr. Stotz.

Michel Lessard concludes, “We are committed to helping educators use electrical engineering to train energy professionals. We have recently expanded our strategic plans to offer the strongest impact on technical education. We are ready to help shape the transformation of the energy industry and move the world forward.”