Artificial intelligence. Automation. Universal Basic Income. The search for meaning.
These are concepts dominating the discussion on the future of work today, in order to prepare for what’s to come tomorrow.
For some industries, however, tomorrow is already here.
In the US, coal mining has hit a tipping point, thanks to rising concern over climate change, and the continually lowering prices of renewable and alternative energy sources. In 2016, natural gas overtook coal as the primary resource responsible for the generation of electricity in the US. A year later, and 8% of miners have lost their jobs in the wake of this decline.
The age of coal is gradually coming to an end.
It’s joyous news for the environmentally concerned, but what is to come for the rest of the miners, many of whom live in regions developed solely to service the sector, such as Wyoming’s appropriately named Carbon County?
Chinese-owned wind-turbine manufacturers Goldwind believe they have the solution.
Over the next five years, renewable energy developer Viridis Eolia will establish a major wind farm in proximity to the spot where Wyoming’s first coal mine was dug over a century ago. Goldwind’s American arm will provide up to 850 turbines for the project, and they want the people of Carbon County to maintain them.
With their technical proficiency and experience working in difficult conditions, Goldwind thinks former miners make perfect candidates for the job. That’s why, starting in June, the company will run Goldwind Works, a free training program that will provide those interested with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in one of the country’s fastest growing sectors.
Up to 200 technicians will be required on Viridis Eolia’s wind farm, but with increased interest in wind energy, and Goldwind Americas’ dedication to hiring a local workforce, the transition could provide more progressive miners with the stability and relevancy they need to keep working in the energy industry.
“If we can tap into that market and also help out folks that might be experiencing some challenges in the work force today, I think that it can be a win-win situation,” Goldwind CEO David Halligan told The New York Times.
Whether miners will accept such help is yet to be seen.
In the 2016 Presidential election, Wyoming showed some of the strongest support in the nation for Trump, with 67.4% voting Republican. Such a strong show of support for a candidate who promised to return American industry to its former glory begs the question: who will workers put their trust in – alternative energy companies, or the President?
On a broader scale, there’s another issue. Wyoming has fought the arrival of wind energy for a decade. While it has the potential to provide half of the nation’s wind energy needs, it is the only state to have imposed a wind tax ($1 per megawatt) – a tax it actually tried to quintuple earlier this year.
Supporters of the tax claim it is designed to negate the aesthetic devaluing that wind turbines create on the local scenery, while those in contrary argue it’s a means of stifling opposition to a waining industry.
It’s been working too. The Viridis Eolia wind farm is the first to be established in the state in seven years.
If Goldwind’s scheme is a success, it will stand an example for other countries on how to transition their own workforces, not just across mining, but all industries.