In the United Kingdom and Europe, pipelines are central to critical infrastructure, carrying everything from energy supplies to carbon-capture flows. Today, we are seeing two persistent challenges — the loss of experienced staff and slow adoption of modern technology — which are beginning to limit the sector’s performance. And a clear plan for renewing skills and upgrading systems is still missing.
A recent U.K. Parliament briefing shows 49 percent of engineering and technology businesses report recruitment difficulties stemming from skills shortages, costing the economy around £1.5 billion ($2 billion) annually. Pipeline operators are seeing this problem firsthand: Technical staff are aging out, few qualified replacements are entering the field, and uptake of modern systems remains patchy even where the business case is clear.
Aging workforce and a shortage of new talent
The U.K. engineering workforce is aging, and nowhere is that more
