Samantha Haynes began her career as the first female powerline worker apprentice at Essential Energy’s Forbes depot.
Today, as Load Control Senior Specialist, she is driving innovation in smart metering and how customers interact with the grid.
Samantha’s journey reflects a shift in the industry: women taking on leadership in operational roles, bringing with them insight and fresh perspectives needed to navigate one of the most significant transitions in the energy sector’s history.
That shift was on full display at this year’s Women From The Field conference in Sydney on 9 and 10 September, where more than 300 operational staff from four major New South Wales electricity networks gathered to share experiences, ideas and practical solutions.
As one of those leading change, Ms Haynes said it was valuable to hear what others are doing.
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"There’s a sense of support and shared purpose when you get all these women together," she said.
"You realise there are a lot of us out there doing really important work."
A key theme of the event was discussions around supporting the transition to renewables, electrification and developing technologies.
There is consensus that the electricity sector faces a significant risk of workforce shortages: employers in the energy sector must strategically plan to attract, train, and retain workers to facilitate workforce growth.
Essential Energy’s Strategic Workforce Planning activities are focussing on the critical workforce segments of Engineering, System Control, Trades, Digital, Data and Cyber, with each segment showing distinct growth requirements driven by the unique demands of the energy transition.
Beyond the numbers, meeting the challenges of the transition demands creativity, innovation and collaboration.
Samantha says that more than just new technology is needed for the future of the network, thinking differently and challenging the usual way of doing things is important too.
“Women bring perspectives that challenge the usual way of doing things,” Samantha said.
“Whether it’s how we manage load control, support customers or work safely and effectively in the field, we’re helping shape smarter and more inclusive solutions.
"This conference is about recognising that and making space for more of it.”
Essential Energy is committed to addressing the skills gap, expanding their programs with the proposal of a new training academy.
The proposed academy will specialise in renewable energy training and deliver high-quality electrical trade and technical qualifications.
It will support the development of a skilled, future-ready workforce capable of enabling the energy transition across regional, rural and remote communities.
