Using AI to recruit personnel for the energy transition

In 2050, the Netherlands must be climate-neutral. Contractors, installers, and network operators are engaged in the largest renovation of the energy system ever. Many people work daily on the energy transition. However, the reality is that this is not enough to achieve the climate goals. Because to accomplish all this work, an additional 60,000 people will be needed in the coming years. There are many hidden talents that can contribute to the energy transition.

Therefore, seven companies have established “Arbeidsmatchplatform” (Labor Match Platform). A social start-up that, with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), seeks untapped potential in the labor market. Jobliebe provides this technology, in a comprehensive solution for recruiting and contracting innovative personnel. And 8vance provides Jobliebe with our matching technology.

Technically skilled personnel is scarce. Without intervention, the sustainability of the Netherlands will come to a standstill. At the same time, many people unknowingly possess skills needed for a job in the energy transition. For example, a baker who has fine motor skills for his work, a skill that is also useful in many installation tasks.

Matching skills with AI by seven companies

By focusing on a person’s skills rather than the courses they have taken, vacancies in the energy transition can be better matched. Only after that, the future employee’s missing skills and the necessary training or skills needed to start are considered. This way, more career changers can be recruited, and existing employees in the energy transition can be retained by providing insight into career prospects.

Seven companies active in the energy transition have joined forces in Arbeidsmatchplatform. A social start-up that Alliander, Enexis Groep, Stedin, TenneT, KPN, and the contractors Van Gelder Groep BV and Van Voskuilen Groep want to use to encourage other companies in the energy transition to recruit ‘skills-based’ personnel.

Using AI, the skills a job seeker possesses or has acquired are matched with the skills needed for open vacancies. Marlies Visser, member of the Board of Directors of Alliander and initiator of the platform, says, “The demand for technically skilled personnel is enormous. We have been anticipating the bottlenecks this creates for the energy transition for some time. Therefore, I have given the instruction to think out of the box and see what new technology can do to get more people involved in the energy transition. I am extremely happy with Arbeidsmatchplatform and the fact that we have set this up with six other partners. I am firmly convinced that this will help all of us fill some of the many open vacancies.”

New Arbeidsmatchplatform launched

Today, Arbeidsmatchplatform is officially launched in Utrecht. Among those present were, among others, outgoing Minister Carola Schouten for Poverty Policy, Participation, and Pensions, and Ingrid Thijssen, chairwoman of VNO-NCW.

Minister Carola Schouten: “Every person has talents, but not everyone’s talents are immediately visible to employers. Because, for example, they do not have the right diploma, have a disability, or are unemployed. And that is a shame because employers miss out on people who can make a valuable contribution to their company. By looking at someone’s skills and experience – for example, with Arbeidsmatchplatform – we can reduce labor shortages and let these people participate.”

Ingrid Thijssen: “There is a great shortage of technicians in the Netherlands. That is why it is great to see companies joining forces to recruit technicians and match them with employers looking for them. These parties have just gotten started. It can also be a very nice start for the so-called ‘Golden Gate’ from the Technology Attack Plan that VNO-NCW launched last year with a number of technical branches.”

The Golden Gate is an initiative to set up a portal for working in technology.

First matches made

Working with the ‘skills method’ is new for many companies. However, innovative solutions for finding personnel are necessary. In the coming years, many mechanics and construction workers will retire, and fewer people are choosing technical or construction education.

Arbeidsmatchplatform has been extensively tested in recent months through pilots in the Rivierenland region and in Amsterdam. In Rivierenland, the first job seekers have already found jobs using the platform. In Amsterdam, more than 500 job seekers have already been registered, and the first matches are expected soon.

In the coming period, the platform will be rolled out in other regions. This way, job seekers can be offered a job in the immediate vicinity. Arbeidsmatchplatform is currently in talks in, among other places, Rotterdam to join as the next region.