Manila Electric Company (Meralco) aims to build a skilled local workforce to develop a distribution system ready for a “smarter, cleaner and more secure” energy future, according to a company executive.
Meralco first vice president and networks head Froilan Savet cited the need to prepare for a changing energy landscape during a recent forum.
The talk, themed “Skilling the Workforce for the Future of the Power Industry,” highlighted the grid’s transformation.
Savet said the grid is shifting from traditional to smart, with the use of sensors and artificial intelligence; from centralized to distributed, with more solar rooftops and microgrids; and from passive to interactive, where consumers can become “prosumers” who both consume and produce energy.
He underscored the need for a diverse workforce with both technical and soft skills, citing the growth of renewable energy, electric vehicles, and emerging technologies like Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).
To address this, Meralco is sponsoring employees for advanced degrees, training over 180 individuals in data analytics and coding, and building local capabilities through its PowerTech Smart Grid Lab.
The company’s Meralco Power Academy also launched the Filipino Scholars and Interns on Nuclear Engineering (FISSION) program, which sends scholars abroad to train in the nuclear energy field.
“A career in the power sector is not just a job. It’s a mission to change lives,” Savet said. “This is the kind of work that builds not just careers — but a nation.”
The forum gathered students and young professionals to discuss the evolving power industry and the role of the next generation in shaping it.
