Cantwell and Moniz hold meeting to discuss energy sector’s increasing employment gap

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Ernest Moniz held a roundtable discussion at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on Tuesday to brainstorm ways to close the employment gap in the energy sector.

“The energy sector is expected to add 1.5 million new jobs over the next 15 years – 230,000 on the West Coast alone,” Cantwell said. “Thriving energy companies are going to need to hire the workers needed to power the future. It’s critical right investments today to help grow the new energy economy of tomorrow. We must have workers ready to meet the challenges of managing a changing electric grid.”

The DOE’s Quadrennial Energy Review estimated that 1.5 million new jobs would emerge in the energy sector over the next 15 years, with 234,000 expected to emerge on the West Coast. Companies, however, have already reported challenges finding the skilled professionals needed to fill these roles.

The roundtable discussed the emerging educational efforts of labor organizations and schools in offering specific energy job skills and training, including Walla Walla Community College and IBEW. These efforts, combined with shifts in federal policy, the leaders agreed, could equip American workers to fill the high-paying position in the years to come.