Major new initiative launches in Coventry to help align electric skills and industry standards to drive £12bn opportunity

A landmark initiative that aims to unlock the universal language of electrification was launched yesterday at a major event in London.

More than 100 industry experts were present at the Museum of London to take a first look at The Power Electronics, Machines and Drives Body of Knowledge (PEMDBoK). 

This valuable new resource which has been developed through a collaboration of industry and academic experts led by Coventry University, is set to redefine industry standards and align understanding of the essential skills and capabilities required by the sector.

Hosted on the Electric Revolution Skills (ERS) Hub, individuals, employers, course providers, recruiters, and companies are urged to sign up and access the wealth of information on skills, competencies and training needed to work in PEMD now and in the future.

Petar Igic, Academic Director of the ERS Hub, said: “PEMD requires a broad and evolving set of skills and competencies that traditionally have been challenging to navigate for individuals and organisations, a problem exacerbated by differences in language used by employers, course providers and learners.

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“This situation is holding the sector back and preventing new talent from entering at exactly the time companies need them – if we don’t try to reverse this trend, then the UK could quite easily find itself falling behind in the electrification race.”

The shared framework is being hailed as a game-changing moment for a sector expected to generate more than £12 billion of domestic revenue by 2025 and create more than 169,000 jobs.

A special panel discussion Chaired by Deepak Farmah (ERS Hub Commercial Director) and featuring Rowan Crozier (Brandauer), Louise Phipps (West Midlands Combined Authority), Jason Cole (Jonathan Lee Recruitment) and Elizabeth Bonfield (Skills 4) discussed current industry challenges and heralded the difference the Body of Knowledge could make.

Petar Igic, added: “We had to do something about this and by bringing together more than 100 different industry and academic experts, we have come up with The Power Electronics, Machines and Drives Body of Knowledge.

“This ground-breaking initiative has captured the full scope of topic specialist areas and the skills required to do jobs ranging from Lead Power Electronics Engineer, Thermal Management Design, PCB and Sub Systems Integration to Power Converters and Instrumentation and Compliance Testing all in one place and, importantly, in a unified language that everyone can understand.”

The PEMDBoK is now live and can be accessed through the ERS Hub website, with thousands of new users expected over the next twelve months. 

Job specifications, courses, skills breakdowns, and career paths will be readily available, whilst machine-readable specification allows services for industry, recruiters, and course providers to specify underlying data accurately and ensure consistency and interoperability.

The aim is to start bridging the skills gap by establishing a shared framework of technology, skills, and proficiencies, emphasising continuous learning and evolution as the landmark initiative develops and the electrification ecosystem matures.

“The issue is that there aren’t enough people to fill those 169,000+ jobs. While there are multiple engineers with experience and recent graduates, only a few decide to enter the PEMD field,” added Petar.

“There are multiple reasons from both a recruiter and workforce perspective. Employers would rather hire experienced engineers than train people, unappealing job offers, unclear requirements/skills for roles, or a language gap in industry and education.

“ERS Hub and BoK aim to support at both ends of the spectrum. By creating a common language, we allow recruiters and employers to easily create ‘standardised’ job profiles that can be understood whilst also helping education and course providers design their courses/training to better meet those demands.”

PEMD Body of Knowledge is at the heart of the ERS Hub, which was successfully launched in Birmingham earlier this year and has already had 87,000 engagements.

The digital platform is helping hundreds of businesses attract new individuals to work in electrification and support growth in this vital industry by making 838 training courses – including electrical engineering, laminations, motors, automation, and 3D printing - easy to find through a comprehensive catalogue.

There is also the industry’s first jobs board purely for electrification, providing a constantly updated 390-strong list of available positions, the skills required for those roles and average remuneration.

The final element of the offering is for academia, with the ERS Hub forging strong links with more than 200 partners, including schools, colleges, universities and businesses.

Deepak Farmah, Commercial Director at the ERS Hub, said: “There was a fantastic response to the official PEMDBoK launch yesterday and we want to take this level of interest and leverage it to ensure everyone knows and interacts with the Body of Knowledge. 

“The universal language of electrification is now live – it is time for the sector to embrace it to ensure the UK leads the way to a greener future.”