Aboitiz Power Corp. is pushing for a “center of excellence” to hone the workforce skills needed to support the growth of the energy sector, an executive said.
AboitizPower president and chief executive Emmanuel Rubio said people—competent analysts, project managers, business developers, modelers—are the most valuable resource in organization.
Rubio said the energy workforce is a very limited resource amid a competitive global and local market for talent.
Rubio, speaking in a breakout panel during the recent 2024 Indo-Pacific Business Forum, said each country should tap into their competitive advantage, then have the region work together to further maximize the benefits for all members.
The panel recognized that developing and retaining a skilled workforce for the clean energy transition is a universal challenge that require collaborative efforts.
“If we really would like to move forward, one of the things that we can consider is developing centers of excellence in different countries,” he said.
“Maybe Thailand can specialize in one area [and so can] the Philippines, Indonesia, [and so on and so forth]. Maybe that’s something we can actually consider in terms of regional cooperation. Talent is critical,” Rubio said.
AboitizPower and its partner JERA Co. Inc. — Japan’s largest power generation company — are working together and exchanging talents to share manpower and learn from each other’s expertise and experience.