Barbadians who may be unemployed and eager to receive a pay cheque, or professionals looking to enhance their range of skills, are encouraged to seek job opportunities in the renewable energy sector.
Economist in the Ministry of Energy, Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Alton Best, and Director of Natural Resources, Jamar White, spoke about the areas for employment today during a live telephone interview on the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation’s 94.7 F.M. with host Teshia Hinds. The live call-in is the third in the Ministry of Energy’s radio series.
Mr. Best said the job prospects in renewable energy ranged from administration to technical and he wants Barbadians to see themselves as “having a place in the renewable energy sector”.
“Some of the obvious jobs are technical ones, where skill is needed to design, install and maintain the solar photovoltaic systems (solar panels). You also have the PV installers (solar technicians) that would come to your house and do the installation. When you talk about the installation, you will need a maintenance technician that would probably come every three or six months to ensure that your solar panels are working correctly…,” he added.
The Economist also mentioned that there was a role for structural engineers, electricians, and economists to conduct economic and financial analysis to inform government on energy-related issues and to identify the right strategies for efficient production, consumption and pricing of energy-related products.
Mr. Best also explained the link between Meteorology and the renewable energy sector. He reasoned that meteorologists’ knowledge in wind measurements and predicting energy outcomes during the installation and operation of wind turbines was needed.
He also made a call for attorneys, accountants, environmental specialists and persons with other skills to come on board and lend their expertise.
“We need environmental specialists because they would look at the environment and the impact on our water resources. In the area of financing and investment, we all need accountants in everything that we do; sales and marketing; technicians and attorneys-at-law to draft the legal documents,” the energy finance official underlined.
Mr. Best advised persons interested in a career in renewable energy to enroll at the University of the West Indies, the Barbados Community College, the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology or the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Council to begin or advance their training.
His colleague, Mr. White, sought to allay any concerns surrounding the switch from oil and gas to renewable energy. He maintained that with the global energy transition most skills set in oil and gas were easily transferable to the renewable energy sector.
“So, it is not all doom and gloom for people employed in oil and gas because they have the opportunity to expand their skills and lend some of their expertise to the renewable energy sector,” he stated.
Interested persons may visit the Ministry’s website www.energy.gov.bb, www.smartenergybarbados.com, or subscribe and follow on their Instagram, Facebook and Twitter social media pages @energybarbados and @smartenergybarbados, to keep abreast of developments in the energy sector.