The power punch

Providing employment to 12.4 lakh people, the power sector is poised to emerge as the largest sector in India in terms of investment and job creation. India needs to augment power production to 1,000 GW from the current 280 GW to sustain economic growth in the next 15 years. This will require a creation of an estimated 25 lakh new jobs with technical workforce accounting for 75 per cent of these. While electricity boards are being thoroughly restructured to cope with the rising demand, private players are also actively participating in power generation and distribution. A plethora of job opportunities await youngsters in the fields of core electrical engineering, project development, consulting, renewable energy and energy management in this sector. "The power sector is a broad domain that includes multiple disciplines. A distinct field that offers specialisation within specialisation, it demands a set of specialised job skills", says Hartek Singh, CMD, Hartek Power, while talking about job opportunities in this sector for students from different streams. Excerpts from an interview:

What are the various options available to job aspirants in the power sector and the proficiencies they need to excel in this industry?

While the domain knowledge of mechanical, electrical and civil engineering comes as an advantage, promising opportunities lie ahead for youngsters from diverse backgrounds like commerce, finance, accounts, human resource, law, logistics, marketing and management. They should be conversant with the dynamics of the energy market, government policies and power grid regulations. The boom in the industry has opened a world of opportunities both in public and private sectors. Research is emerging as another great option with research organisations like the Central Power Research Institute paying handsomely to their scientists and research fellows.

Apart from the demand for technical manpower for executing power generation, transmission and distribution projects, the power sector has opened new avenues for various specialisations in power management. What sort of jobs will this offer?

The huge demand for efficient managers in the power sector is evident from the fact that many institutes have introduced power management programmes for freshers and working executives alike to hone them in market analysis, financial/operations management and business analytics. Power management graduates are also much in demand in fields like power resource management, environment impact assessment, power auditing, power pricing, power trading, power planning and carbon financing market.

India is making rapid strides in the solar power segment with the government working towards an ambitious target of generating 1 lakh MW of electricity through solar power alone by 2022. What job opportunities will this bring along?

According to a report by the Climate Group, India's solar industry is projected to generate up to 2,35,000 jobs by 2020. The solar sector is India's next employment hub. Higher demand, cheaper material, lower installation and maintenance costs and improved standards will make solar energy affordable in the near future, throwing up more and more job opportunities. Initiatives like the National Solar Mission will also help create many jobs by boosting manufacturing capabilities and bringing technological advancements. With R&D centres like the Solar Research Energy Institute coming up, one can also carve a remarkable career as a researcher in solar photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies. Moreover, renewable energy is now being included in the syllabus of two-year regular ITI courses.

What are the prospects for career growth in the power sector? What kind of work environment does the industry offer?

Free from market fluctuations, the power sector offers a lot of stability to employees. It is also attractive from the perspective of professional growth and development. At present, the private sector accounts for 19 per cent of India's total installed capacity. Its contribution is projected to go up five times in the next six-seven years. With private companies now approaching top notch B-schools for campus selection, many lucrative avenues for professional growth await youngsters.

What are the skills that job aspirants preparing themselves for this sector should equip themselves with?

They should have both technical acumen and managerial expertise. A degree in engineering, finance, business development, quality control or marketing is the basic requirement. Professionals on the technical side should be adept in product development processes and troubleshooting machines with an insight into the manufacturing processes. They should have an analytical bend of mind and basic knowledge of the financial aspects of project reports and cost estimation. Their professional training should focus on economics, finance, marketing, energy economics, energy policy, renewable energy, tariff policy, energy efficiency and sustainability.

What is the salary structure in this sector?

While a fresh engineer may get anything between Rs 35,000 to Rs 70,000 a month, project engineers, project managers and operations managers can command a handsome six-digit salary. While MNCs are considered better pay masters, a combination of BE/BTech and MBA can take one to the middle management level, attracting a salary of up to Rs 2 lakh a month.

— As told to Geetu Vaid