A Lesson to Industry from Germany’s Nuclear Power Sector

Germany’s decision to close all Nuclear Power Stations by the end of 2022 created an energy deficit of 25% of the country’s power needs. Germany’s success in this process has presented a huge lesson to all industries: the impossible does not exist, and we can all successfully adapt to seemingly insurmountable obstacles once you have a proper plan and training in action.

Nuclear power is so rigorous in its compliance and regulatory frameworks that when massive change comes you could be forgiven for thinking the business of adapting would be painful, if not impossible at scale.

However, once you recognise that a sustainable culture of change is not only possible, but hugely advantageous, from a cost and efficiency perspective, then the barriers start to fall away.

The Question is, How do You Achieve it?

A key element is to broaden the responsibility of digital transformation, out from IT and into all other operational areas of the business. To achieve this level of buy in, the stories told by the available data need to be bold, attractive and above all, communicated in a way that speaks to every level of the organisational structure.

This level of cultural buy-in comes from organising the swathes of data available into a manageable and accessible format so the data story tellers can do their job at a pace that keeps up with rapidly shifting sands. If not, they fall behind the curve again and the new tech becomes obsolete before it’s even rolled. Organisational agility in practice is a must!

As we can see with Germany’s nuclear power move, this is all against a backdrop of the most rigorous cyber security measures in any industry. This all has to be carried out securely or those compliance and regulations will come back to bite in a very painful (and in the case of nuclear power, disastrous) way.

What are the barriers?

• Data and digital skills are thin on the ground and difficult to attract/retain
• Cyber security in an ever more aggressive IT environment is crucial
• Challenges around software and hardware integration at scale and the associated competencies
• Networking the new tools into a global and reliable IT and Digital Infrastructure

Next Steps? Get Certified

The above barriers are Firebrand's specialised areas and we excel at them. We do so by addressing the skills shortfall from both ends of the spectrum; rapidly deployed solutions to address immediate gaps with Bootcamp style delivery mechanisms, buttressed with the deeper and more substantive apprenticeship approach using levy funding to pave the way.

So whether it is developing homegrown talent of letting us recruit new people for you, or training your current team, get in touch with our Apprenticeships division and help shrink the digital skills gap, and make the impossible, possible.