The Future of the Electrical Industry

June 28, 2019

By Kim Quelch

What a great conference that Electro-Federation Canada (EFC) has put on once again this year in beautiful Quebec City. We as YPNs (Young Professionals Network) had the opportunity to take part in the proceedings with a panel discussion centred on the future of the electrical industry. Three members from EFC’s Young Professionals Network (YPN) participated in this panel discussion a few weeks ago (Dave Branscombe, Independent Electric; Lori Bagazzoli, Viscor; and Jonathan Perlis, Standard-Stanpro and Chair of Quebec Region’s YPN committee). I’d like to thank my fellow colleagues for taking the time to share both insights on the survey but also their own thoughts and opinions.

For those who are not familiar with our association, we are a division of EFC focused on connecting members under the age of 40 within EFC member companies. YPN focuses on three key pillars to drive our objectives: To Give, Gather and Grow together, through giving back to our community, gathering to network, and getting to know each other better and growing through constant mentoring and training opportunities. After four years of operation I am proud to say we have reached a true milestone of 500 members, of which upwards of 40% are women.

Change is happening in our industry today, which is no surprise. If we are not conscious of these changes and at the forefront of them, we will undoubtedly be forced into the change unprepared, instead of leading the change ourselves. With that said, what a great time to survey our members and gain key insight into what our young leaders think about what is going on in the industry today, what is to come, and what can we do to be better prepared. I am happy to say that we had just shy of a 50% response rate, which really shows the willingness of our young generation to share insights, comments and feedback on our industry; 60% of respondents had more than 5 years of experience in the industry, and 70% were between the ages of 35-40.

Key findings centred on culture, technology and change management. Overwhelmingly the sentiment of the respondents was focused on learning and development. Over 90% of respondents were open and willing to learn new technologies and skills to better develop their interpersonal, professional and technical capabilities to be able to deliver their best.

Particular focus was also put on the need to make sure not just our young are trained, but that constant training occurs at all levels of an organization, be it on the manufacturing side in learning to interact with robotics or on the interpersonal side in perfecting our face-to-face communication skills, which tend to get away from us in this digital age.

From a culture perspective, many of the comments and responses centred on developing more inclusive cultures, ones that allowed for growth and development through mentorship programs but also that help to support women in the industry. This point is extremely important, especially when it comes to YPNs. Attracting and keeping the talent we have in this industry will be instrumental in the development of a workforce that can adapt and grow into future leaders.

Technology was undoubtedly also a key focus of the survey, as it relates to product innovation, but also process innovation as automation, digitization and a strong focus on the environment were top of mind. Concerns on how new technologies will impact current standards, security protocols and channel relationships were something we need to think of today. These new technologies will force us to look at partnering with others or acquiring resources or outsourcing that will allow us to manage these new variables.

We thank all the YPNs who participated in this survey and encourage you to keep thinking, discussing and learning. These vital topics of discussion and associated comments will be the driving force between many of the upcoming learning events at YPN within each region. Stay tuned for upcoming events in your areas by becoming a YPN member today, all EFC company members are welcome! Join today: https://www.electrofed.com/about/ypn/join-ypn/.

In addition to her role as National Chair of the Young Professionals Network, Kim is Director, Product Marketing at Standard-Stanpro.