A Skills Framework for Energy Saving

Energy conservation has been a widespread concern for decades for two main focuses: environmental protection and energy issues. Studies on energy savings have constantly been developing which led to many innovative energy-saving methods covering both technical and psychological aspects. Governments, enterprises and higher education are placing great importance to the understanding of energy saving measures and policies as it contributes positively to environment. Such steps also provide employment opportunities to hundreds of thousands of people. As many industries are now integrating energy-saving policies with organizational culture, there is a steady demand for energy-saving talent and skills associated. Thus, higher education is responsible to cultivate talents and skills with curriculum focusing on energy-saving principles. If specialists and graduates are to engage in the field, one of the keys is their skills and abilities. What skills and abilities are expected in organizational roles related to energy saving? So far, no scholars have specifically analysed or summarized skills on energy conservation. Therefore, this study aims to fill this gap using qualitative analysis. With desk research and detailed literature review on energy saving, this study proposes an energy-saving skills framework. As a part of data collection, a focus group interview is conducted to understand opinions about energy-saving skills among managerial personnel from high energy consumption enterprises. An analysis of energy-saving related job advertisements which shows recruiters’ expectation for employees’ mastery is also carried out. This step checks the validity of the proposed skills framework. The findings of this study contribute to the growing literature on energy saving and help to understand energy-saving skills in human resource management of enterprises and higher education curriculum design. Gaining a systematic knowledge of energy-saving skills is the way forward for organizations, higher education institutes and individuals to enhance long-term sustainable prospects and eradicate certain environmental energy issues.