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Speaker 1: So we've got to report into the efficiency of our

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Speaker 1: energy sector. It's called the re Energized twenty six Framework. Warms.

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Speaker 1: Without the right skills and workers, projects could be delayed,

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Speaker 1: growth missed. This lack of coordination across the sector. Blah

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Speaker 1: blah blah. I mean they've written a million picker sector,

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Speaker 1: They've written a report about it. Louise Upston is the

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Speaker 1: Minister for Social Development and Employment and is with us. Louise,

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Speaker 1: good morning, Good morning, Mike. Is this sector any different

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Speaker 1: from any other sector that doesn't have the right skills

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Speaker 1: or the right workers and things could get delayed if

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Speaker 1: you write a report and tell everyone about it.

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Speaker 2: Well, I think one of the important thing is that

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Speaker 2: they're actually really recognizing that energy is an enormous growth sector.

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Speaker 2: New Zealand needs to ensure that we have electricity and

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Speaker 2: energy when we need it, and so they're thinking ahead,

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Speaker 2: which I think is really important. And often when we

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Speaker 2: think about electricity, we think about energy, We think about

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Speaker 2: towers and power plants and wires and those sorts of things.

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Speaker 2: But actually they're thinking about the people that are needed

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Speaker 2: and the skills that are needed when they're needed to

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Speaker 2: ensure we can build all of that, So I think

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Speaker 2: it's really sensible and MP's been involved from a data

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Speaker 2: and analytics perspective just to help them. What's the work

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Speaker 2: they're already doing.

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Speaker 1: What do you reckon? The problem? Is is it school?

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Speaker 1: So in other words, school kids don't know anything about

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Speaker 1: this industry and never think about it. Is it a

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Speaker 1: job that no one wants any way, even if they

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Speaker 1: did know about it, Or is it about people leaving

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Speaker 1: the country and the skills left or all of that.

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Speaker 2: I think there's a combination of factors. One of the

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Speaker 2: subjects that definitely came up yesterday in the discussion was

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Speaker 2: you know, how do we attract more people into the

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Speaker 2: energy sector as the MP for topal geothermal is a

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Speaker 2: really exciting area. But actually I'm not sure enough of

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Speaker 2: our school kids locally, lit alone across the country understand

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Speaker 2: how critical energy is for our future. Gens of every home,

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Speaker 2: every business, every government agency, hospitals all require energy. And

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Speaker 2: being a country it's serious about our climate emissions, we

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Speaker 2: actually need to be developing greater resilience as well. So yes,

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Speaker 2: I think attraction is one of the challenges and that

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Speaker 2: was raised yesterday and it's one of the key priorities

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Speaker 2: in the report. It's also about building the capability that's

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Speaker 2: in the existing workforce. How do they get people up

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Speaker 2: to speed faster. And when you've got a growing sector,

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Speaker 2: one of the challenges you might be attracting more people in,

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Speaker 2: but then you've got to have the existing workforce who

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Speaker 2: are then freed up to train and mentor and develop

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Speaker 2: the new people coming in. So and yes, retention is

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Speaker 2: part of it, but look, this is a really sensible

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Speaker 2: move for a workforce that is growing and will continue

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Speaker 2: to grow. And they have identified it early and have

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Speaker 2: identified that actually what is needed is coordination across the industry.

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Speaker 2: So two industries organizations have come together, the Electricity Engineers

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Speaker 2: Association and Energy Resources are HEROA working with mb to

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Speaker 2: come up with this plan. And then the intention is

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Speaker 2: just to make sure that they're working more together across

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Speaker 2: the industry and building a workforce together. So it makes

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Speaker 2: a lot of sense, and particularly when we know it's

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Speaker 2: a growth industry and energy will be so critical to

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Speaker 2: growing the economy overall and making sure there are more

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Speaker 2: opportunities for more New Zealanders.

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Speaker 1: That is the truth. Nice to talk to you, Louise

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