Education, Qualification and Continuing Professional Development of Engineers in Protection, Automation and Control

Introduction

As the tradition in the CIGRE community, this brochure has sought to bring together manufacturers, utilities, universities, researchers, regulators, and consultants to foster open collaboration and knowledge sharing. This new Technical Brochure exemplifies Working Group B5.82’s commitment to providing accessible, authoritative guidance and viewpoint for all stakeholders, ensuring the industry remains at the forefront of innovation, safety, reliability, and sustainability for education and professional development in the field in PAC.

Background and Rationale

The impetus for this Technical Brochure stems from the profound changes that have swept through the power sector since the publication of the previous WG B5.40 report (TB 599) in 2014. The last decade has witnessed the accelerated deployment of renewable energy resources, the reinforcement of grid resilience, and the emergence of new grid development goals—most notably, achieving net-zero carbon targets while enhancing reliability, safety, and security.

These developments have introduced new educational and training needs for engineers working in Protection, Automation, and Control (PAC). The scope of the Working Group B5.82 was to review and update the previous brochure, incorporating new topics, technologically advanced means of knowledge delivery including web-based learning, internal utility training, skill updates, and formal education certification processes. The aim: to enable both new and existing PAC professionals to achieve, maintain, and enhance the skills required to support the next generation of the electric grid, whether they join through via the traditional higher education path or join from a career change.

Overview of Brochure Content

The Technical Brochure is structured into eight main sections, each addressing a critical aspect of PAC workforce development:

1. Introduction

The opening section sets the stage by outlining the scope and drivers for change in the PAC technical areas for context. Key drivers include the grid’s role in reducing carbon emissions, the globalization of decarbonization goals, the need for grid flexibility, digitalization, the rise of data models and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) analytics, workforce mobility trends, cyber security threats, and the widening gap between academic curricula and industry needs. The section concludes that industry experiences must be made widely accessible to educators, students and current PAC professionals to drive the necessary changes in workforce education and training.

2. Penetration of New Technologies

Section 2 explores how technological advancements are reshaping the fundamentals of power system operation. Topics include power system protection, automation, control, cyber-physical systems, cyber security, digital twins, innovative grid modelling, advanced communication technology, and real-time digital simulators. The report emphasises the importance of cross-disciplinary knowledge—meteorology, geology, operations research, AI/ML, computer science, big data analytics, and cloud computing—and concludes that PAC techniques must be continually updated to meet the grid’s evolving attributes and characteristics. Table 1 illustrates recent disturbances that are caused by nuisances of the new technology developments which resulted in unwanted consequences, which could be avoided through future workforce education.

3. Emerging Workforce Profiles

Within Emerging Workforce Profiles, the brochure highlights the challenges and opportunities associated with new workforce styles such as hybrid and remote work, and types of workers, focusing on essential competencies for PAC engineers in a multigenerational industry. Skills in power electronics, data science, cybersecurity, communication networks, digital twins, virtualization, resilience, and environmental sustainability are identified as critical. The section calls for collaboration between the power sector and educational institutions to deliver comprehensive workforce development programmes that address current gaps.