Preparing the Next Generation for Distributed Energy & Critical Infrastructure

​As distributed energy, data centers, and critical infrastructure become more interconnected, technical work is becoming harder to separate by role.

​Problems rarely stay within one discipline or project phase. A design decision can create a field issue. A procurement assumption can surface during commissioning. By the time a problem appears, its cause may be several steps upstream.

​That changes what the workforce needs.

​Technical professionals need more than task-specific knowledge. They need to understand dependencies, question assumptions, and see how their decisions affect the broader system.

​This event brings together people across energy, critical infrastructure, education, and workforce development to explore emerging skill gaps and how Systems Reasoning could better prepare people for increasingly complex technical environments.

​We’ll introduce the model, apply it to real technical work, and run a live learning exercise.

​Most importantly, we’ll ask: What should technical education look like for the people building and operating the infrastructure of the future?