Unlocking the smart grid: An Australian industry-university collaborative effort to address skill gaps

Implementation of smart grid strategies by power utilities will necessitate a new set of skills, experiences and knowledge. Understanding the smart grid requires knowledge of numerous key engineering topics that intersect information technologies, sciences, market, business, policy, regulation, standards and social sciences. Professionals and engineers will seek to upgrade and expand their practical skills to meet unprecedented market demand. A five-day professional course designed to address smart grid skill gaps in Australia developed in collaboration between industry and academia is discussed in this paper. The design, development and pilot-phase implementation processes are presented in full detail. Mapping of the course using Bloom's taxonomy levels is documented. Formal evaluation and feedback scores are reported. © 2011 IEEE.