Human resources remain true assets

Human resources remain true assets | Daily Tribune

Amid the advent of technological advancements, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), sustaining investments in human resources remains crucial for businesses.

While AI excels in automating repetitive tasks and analyzing extensive datasets, it falls short in replicating uniquely human qualities such as creativity, empathy, critical thinking, and intricate decision-making abilities.

Investing in human resource development ensures that employees can effectively collaborate with AI systems, harnessing these technologies to augment their capabilities and foster innovation. This investment aims to maintain high employee morale, reduce turnover rates, and cultivate a loyal and driven workforce.

For instance, in the local power sector, Aboitiz Power Corp., the holding company for all energy-related investments of the Aboitiz Group, remains heavily invested in its people.

“Competent and skilled individuals are needed in our sector to run, maintain, and upgrade assets across all existing facilities,” Aboitiz said in an emailed statement to the Daily Tribune.

“As energy transitions are a persistent task in the search for the ideal combination of energy sources and technologies, we will need new skilled workers, along with our experienced talents, to push the envelope into what can be reliable, cost-effective and sustainable energy solutions,” it added.

According to AboitizPower, human capital plays an important role in driving innovation, not just in the energy sector, but in all industries and endeavors.

“After all, innovation comes from individuals who can think, feel, and come together to address a certain necessity,” it said.

Presently, the country’s energy sector faces challenges in ensuring energy security due to its erratic power supply and unsubsidized rates, among others. To help resolve these, AboitizPower said the sector’s workforce should master adaptability and data analytics.

To advance technological innovation in energy, our talent pipeline should be able to effectively adjust and work with the fast-paced transformation within the industry’s energy mix, digital systems, and regulations.

“Our talent pipeline should also be capable of making more informed decisions that are data-based and aligned with the scientific method. As the industry evolves and integrates more complex systems and technologies, demand for such skill sets will become more and more prominent,” the company said.

Forging partnerships

To future-proof its current workforce, AboitizPower has an active partnership with Japanese partner, JERA Co. Inc. to exchange talents.

Last year, AboitizPower dispatched engineers to Japan to collaborate on plant operations and maintenance with their counterparts from JERA. This cross-cultural exchange provided participants with the opportunity to learn from each other’s expertise and best practices, fostering a mutually beneficial sharing of knowledge.

The insights gained during this collaboration are expected to yield positive outcomes upon the participants’ return to their respective companies.

AboitizPower believes that its investments in its people will be significant as it is en route to reaching 4,600 megawatts (MW) capacity, resulting in a 50:50 balance between its RE and thermal capacities by 2030.

The company already has over 1,000 MW of disclosed projects from various indigenous energy sources and is constantly pursuing opportunities to grow its portfolio for solar, hydro, geothermal, wind and energy storage systems.

AboitizPower is also exploring opportunities for nuclear via small and micro modular reactors as well as studying the feasibility of co-firing hydrogen and ammonia in reducing carbon emissions during thermal power generation.