Process Engineer Talent Gap Widens as Boomers Retire, Control Global Finds
A widening skills gap in process engineering and operations is forcing system integrators, educators and suppliers to rethink how they train and retain talent, Control Global reports. The publication points to three compounding pressures: mass retirements of experienced Baby Boomer engineers and operators, a rapid shift from hardwired legacy systems to fieldbuses, Ethernet, wireless and software-based controls, and millions of unfilled jobs across process industries in the U.S., Canada and Europe. Integrators cited in the piece, including Novaspect, Patti Engineering, Interstates, Arthur G. Russell, Enterprise Automation and ACS, describe responses ranging from in-house training programs and college partnerships to seeking hires willing to learn onsite through mentorship.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Automation-heavy field service firms should expect longer ramp-up times for new hires as veteran know-how retires out of the workforce faster than it’s being replaced, particularly on legacy hardwired I/O and PLC systems.
- Firms competing for E&I and controls technicians may need to build their own training pipelines, as integrators like Enterprise Automation (EA University) and Interstates are already running in-house programs rather than waiting on traditional degree pathways to fill gaps.
- Partnering with local community colleges or technical programs, as Arthur G. Russell and LyondellBasell’s CPET center at San Jacinto College have done, is worth exploring for subcontractors that need a steady feed of entry-level talent willing to train into controls and instrumentation roles.
