The P&C Workforce: Still a Work in Progress
In the recent Pulse of the Industry roundtable at the 2025 Protection Seminar, one thing became clear: we’re still very much in the thick of building the workforce we need. The conversation was candid, sometimes critical, and always insightful. What emerged was a picture of an industry grappling with generational shifts, evolving technologies, and the urgent need to transfer knowledge before it walks out the door.
Recruiting and Keeping Talent
One concern raised was the challenge of attracting new talent without alienating the experienced workforce.
“We must pay a lot to attract candidates, but at the same time they’re being offered pay that nears the range that experienced personnel make. Plus, you train workers and they take their skills elsewhere for more pay—which isn’t fair to loyal workers either.”
This tension between recruitment and retention plagues companies that bid high to fill roles. The cost is more than financial—it’s cultural. Long-time employees feel overlooked, and the revolving door of talent undermines team cohesion and institutional memory.
Teaching the Basics
Several participants emphasized the importance of grounding new technicians in the fundamentals—starting from original relaying equipment.
“Just because you ripped electromechanical relays out of the substation doesn’t mean they should just go right into the trash. Keep them, save them, use them for the training lab.”
“I would always teach the CO relay first… everything on an overcurrent microprocessor relay—your tap, your time dial—all of that comes from the CO relay. When you see it physically, it really tells a story a lot better.”
These comments underscore a powerful truth: understanding the “why” behind the “what” is essential. A green check mark on a test result is meaningless if the technician doesn’t understand what’s happened behind it.
Apprenticeships and Knowledge Transfer
One utility has taken a proactive step by launching a 4-year Department of Labor-accredited relay apprenticeship program:
“We can get those individuals right out of college and not have that usual on-the-job training experience that that 30 year individual has had to have.”
But the real innovation? They didn’t pull key relay technicians into a different role – training – that takes them out of the field. Instead, they embedded teaching into their role as relay technicians:
“We didn’t move them to a teaching role; we didn’t move them out of their role. They add that to their day where they teach within their 8 hours. They’re still technicians, but they’re passing on their knowledge. And it’s different technicians throughout the month, and they’re willing to pass their knowledge on…that’s the biggest win.”
This model respects the value of experience while creating a sustainable pipeline of new talent.
Changing the Narrative
Several mentioned the need to reframe how the industry presents itself—especially to students.
“I just graduated a year ago to get my electrical engineering degree. I didn’t know at all that you could be working in the field with an electrical engineering degree, which is what I always wanted to do. And on top of that, when I told some of my other classmates about what I was going to go do, they thought that was stupid. ‘Why would you want to go work in the field…you got a degree!’ I don’t know how to fix that, but maybe just telling students that this is actually a thing, a dynamic career.”
“I got my EE about 5-6 years ago. One of the things I noticed coming through was the school focused a lot on computer technologies, the computer programming, side of electrical engineering. We had one class that touched on power which was basically about motors, transformers…everything was kind of like lumped into this one single class. That was pretty much the bulk of the whole discussion on the power industry, as if it’s an older field and there’s nothing new and upcoming. It’s like the message is ‘Oh, you want to go work at a dirty substation?’”
This perception problem is costing us talent. The power industry isn’t just legacy—it’s foundational. It’s also evolving rapidly, especially in P&C with digital relays, automation, and data-driven operations. We need to tell that story better.
Stuck in the Corner
One participant summed up a sentiment that many in P&C will recognize:
“We’re kind of a quiet little group… we make NERC and FERC happy, and everybody’s happy, and everybody just kind of ignores us.”
P&C professionals are the unsung heroes of grid reliability. But being quiet doesn’t mean being invisible. We need to advocate for our role—not just to upper management, but to the next generation of engineers and technicians.
Looking Ahead
The workforce challenges in P&C aren’t unique—but they are urgent. As one participant put it:
“As attrition and hiring is happening, there’s an opportunity to learn the P&C side of the business. Technology’s changing. How we do work needs to change as well to help P&C’s efforts.”
That change is already underway. From mock substations at colleges to embedded mentorship in the field, the seeds of a stronger, more resilient workforce are being planted. But we need to keep watering them—with investment, with outreach, and with a renewed sense of purpose.
Additional Information:
- Originally published in the The Relay™ Newsletter. Subscribe on LinkedIn.
