The roots of this challenge stretch back well before the mid-2010s, but it became especially visible during that period. After decades of relying on a highly experienced workforce—many of whom had entered the power and construction trades in the late 1970s and 1980s—utilities and contractors began to see large cohorts retire in rapid succession. At the same time, the industry was undergoing a major shift. Investment in renewable energy projects accelerated, and demand for skilled labor surged just as veteran workers were leaving.

To keep pace, companies expanded their headcounts, bringing in many people who were new to utility construction and power-sector practices. But when organizations scale that quickly, it becomes much harder to ensure that new hires receive the deep, hands-on training that previous generations acquired over years. The result was a growing experience gap.

Other trades face similar labor pressures. The U.S. will see 80,000 new electrician job openings a year through 2031, but nearly 30% of union electricians are near retirement. By next year, 500,000 more construction workers are needed.

As we prepare for this new hiring cycle, we shouldn’t forget that you don’t mass produce experience or teach it in the classroom alone. You learn from hands-on experience. Nothing substitutes for working alongside a veteran colleague with decades of judgment built into their instincts.

The good news is that we’re already seeing solutions with real traction. One of the most effective is the rise of “training playgrounds,” mock environments where crews install systems, tear them down and install them again for practice. It allows confidence to build prior to a live site.

Investing in Pipelines

We’re also seeing companies invest in workforce pipelines in ways that go beyond traditional training. In Kansas City, Meta donated several millions for a community-learning program that blends classroom instruction with actual on-site opportunities at their data center projects.

Another way we’re filling the experience gap is by bringing in people from adjacent industries. For example, Black & Veatch has transitioned process engineers from our oil and gas process teams onto on-site generation because the skill sets and phased approach translate almost directly. The industrial turbines are similar, and the people come with fresh perspectives.

Long-term partnerships between developers, general contractors, commissioning teams and engineering groups are also becoming more common. This deeper collaboration helps everyone get aligned early and stabilizes staffing and training.

Onboarding and certification standards, especially those connected to training and safety, are far more rigorous today than a decade ago. But I’m confident better tools and programs and AI will continue making them more efficient.

What does concern me, though, is a stigma that sometimes still lingers around trade careers. The reality is many of these jobs pay incredibly well, lack the same stress or debt that other paths have and open the way to leadership and business roles. These jobs are essential, honorable and offer a real path to a strong, stable life. But we have to tell that story better—if we don’t, the pipeline won’t refill fast enough.

Don’t expect the problem to get solved overnight. But the solutions are already proving out.

Similarly, it’s a mistake to assume that the next generation of employees will somehow find their way here. That’s not going to happen unless we show them what’s possible. This industry built the grid, the infrastructure and the systems that power modern life. If we want people to join that effort, we have to make the case for it. Loudly. Consistently. And starting now.

Jennifer Cahil is associate vice president and campus infrastructure integration lead at Black & Veatch,