The utility workforce that built and maintained the grid for decades— engineers, technicians, chemists, and operators with deep institutional knowledge— is reaching retirement age. Many are already past it, staying on out of necessity. Their knowledge, often undocumented and hard-earned.
At TechCon 2025, this reality and turnover were important topics. Michelle Kutzleb, Vice President of Operations for TJ|H2b, attended the event, shared that knowledge sharing and generational turnover were consistent themes across networking discussions. “There’s an aging workforce in the utility space,” she said. “Professionals who should be retired are still working, simply because their expertise is irreplaceable.”
Meanwhile, new talent needs to help modernize the grid with technologies like AI, drones, and machine learning. What’s at stake is more than workforce capacity. It’s about losing the knowledge that isn’t found in textbooks or data sheets. This isn’t just an HR challenge. It’s a risk to grid reliability.
At TJ|H2b, we believe knowledge sharing isn’t just a luxury, it’s our responsibility.
The Energy Sector Knowledge Gap Needs to be Addressed
Much like the global energy sector, the U.S. utility industry is experiencing a demographic shift. According to a 2023 report from the Center for Energy Workforce Development, nearly 50% of the utility workforce is eligible to retire in the next decade. Meanwhile, hiring younger professionals has been a struggle due to the sector’s slower adoption of technology and lack of visibility compared to other high-tech industries. Now, imagine what these numbers mean.
This creates a dual challenge:
- An aging workforce with deep, often undocumented expertise
- A younger generation entering with tech-savvy skills, but less field-based experience
On top of that, employee retention is becoming an increasingly urgent issue in the utilities sector. According to data from the U.S. Department of Labor:
- 63% of nuclear professionals report a lack of a clearly defined career path
- 90% of power professionals are considering leaving their current roles
- 48% are thinking about exiting the energy sector entirely
These figures highlight a critical need for utility companies to strengthen workforce engagement, enhance overall employee experience, and offer more robust career development opportunities.
Why Knowledge Sharing Needs to Be Strategic
Knowledge sharing needs to go beyond mentorship and occasional training sessions. It requires intentional, structured systems for transferring both explicit and implicit knowledge. This includes:
- Documenting procedures and case studies, particularly in complex scenarios
- Fostering collaboration tools and systems that support real-time field feedback and updates
- Creating multi-generational project teams, where experienced professionals work alongside younger employees
- Incorporating predictive analytics into a shared framework, so newer professionals can interpret data in the context of past patterns
In short, we need to preserve both data and wisdom. Proactive succession planning is essential to safeguard your organization’s institutional knowledge. By launching mentorship initiatives and cultivating a strong talent pipeline, you can ensure critical roles are filled efficiently and reduce the disruption caused by widespread retirements.
Knowledge Sharing and Reliability Go Hand-in-Hand
At TJ|H2b, much of the work we do depends on both science and field expertise. A dissolved gas analysis (DGA) report or furan test tells part of the story, but it takes a practiced engineer to interpret those findings in the context of equipment history, environmental stresses, and utility priorities.
If younger or less-experienced engineers don’t have access to this interpretive knowledge, the risk isn’t just misreading a report— it’s making the wrong call on whether to de-energize a unit, miss the window for preventive maintenance, or worse, overlook a developing fault entirely.
That’s why we believe in working closely with clients, not just to deliver data, but to share interpretation frameworks, historical case learnings, and even training sessions that build diagnostic fluency.
Building a Culture of Knowledge Sharing
Knowledge sharing exists within the utility industry, just not nearly as much as it should be for the future circumstances. What does knowledge sharing look like when it is implemented in the utility industry?
- Retiring staff are encouraged to mentor and record their vast knowledge
- Failures are seen as case studies, not just incidents. There must be an emphasis on deeper knowledge and understanding
- Every test report is an opportunity to teach, not just inform
- New hires are onboarded with real-world stories and lessons, not just procedures
Many companies and organizations within the utility industry are sharing knowledge and collaborating in various ways. One of those important knowledge bases where experts can mingle and learn about industry trends, challenges, and solutions is TechCon North America.
TechCon North America: Where Utility Knowledge Meets Innovation
At TechCon 2025, attendees highlighted that when experienced field engineers leave, they often take with them tacit knowledge (what isn’t written in manuals or recorded in CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management Systems)). This could include the ability to interpret nuanced oil test trends in a transformer or recognize subtle early warning signs of equipment failure.
At TJ|H2b, we’re committed to helping bridge that gap through interpretation, education, and collaborative knowledge sharing. We know events like TechCon are essential for fostering these conversations across generations, disciplines, and organizations. We’d love to see you there — join us at TechCon 2026 and be part of shaping the future of the utility industry.
