Chemical Engineering July 2019 - 36

Cover Story
Overcoming The
Talent Dearth
A shortage of technical talent and experience is challenging many in the chemical process
industries. Steps that can be taken to improve the situation are discussed
Carl Rentschler
Engineering Consultant
Goutam Shahani
ShureLine Construction
IN BRIEF
IMPORTANCE OF
TECHNICAL DEPTH
THE PROBLEM
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
THE BOTTOM LINE
T
he changing
professional
climate and
the vexing economic
situation among
technology-based
companies
ing
are
leadto
a shortage of
technical knowledge
as compared to past
years. This technical
talent shortage can
affect
company
performance,
and cause
companies to be less
competitive than in the
past. The reasons causing the change are
varied, but include retiring technical specialists,
the change in goals among young
professionals, the shifting of work overseas
and the lack of systems to capture historical
" lessons learned. "
While there is no single solution to overcome
the technical talent shortage, there are
steps that can be taken to improve the situation.
These include involving retired professionals
as consultants, and within companies,
instituting mentoring programs between technical
experts and aspiring young professionals.
In addition, knowledge management systems
can be put in place to capture technical
information, and progressively used to guide
technical growth in a company. Elevating the
career path of technical roles is a means of
encouraging young engineers to focus on
technical knowledge growth and become
subject matter experts. While technical depth
within companies may not reach the level of
past years, there are ways to ensure that projects
receive proper technical coverage. Another
option is to form strategic partnerships
with companies that possess the required
technical skills and competencies. This article
discusses different sides of the issue, and
presents various alternatives that companies
can pursue as a remedy.
36
FIGURE 1. The shortage of skilled workers is due to an imbalance in supply and demand
Importance of technical depth
Competitiveness among design companies,
and the need for operating organizations to
immediately and creatively address problems,
is making it more important than ever
to have strong technical talent in these organizations.
The design company that offers a
unique and economical solution is generally
the one that wins new business. For operating
organizations, lost production time can
quickly affect bottom lines, so having expert
engineering talent available to immediately
address problems is crucial. Solid designs
are often a result of years of design changes
with each succeeding change enhancing the
durability and operability. This evolution can
only be realized with core technical talent that
has " lived " the changes, understands the
nuances and has a keen mind for continual
enhancements. Continual innovation within
companies is a key differentiator in a challenging
business world, and the best way to
get there is to have solid technical talent.
The problem
There are several reasons why the shortage
of technical talent has been exacerbated
in recent years (Figure 1), but a main
reason is that many " baby boomers " have
been retiring, taking a wealth of technical
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Chemical Engineering July 2019

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