Where to find the electrified powertrain skills you need

Global EV sales are up by about 30%

And road-cars aren't even the only environment that requires EV powertrain tech to be developed, worked on, and enhanced for the future. Electrified powertrains are in demand, and this is only accelerating (if you'll pardon the pun) year-on-year. 

The reality is, though, in a lot of areas the tech is moving faster than the speed we can train people to work with it. This means talent shortages. Which means critical roles left unfilled. 

But there's a way to get the people you need in your team, and it starts with knowing what talent pools are out there for you. So, without further ado…

Automotive OEMs & Tier Suppliers

This is your best talent pool.

Traditional powertrain engineers can quite easily make the transition into an e-powertrain role with the right reskilling. Their skills tend to map well into EV development because they have a deep understanding of vehicle systems, are familiar working with OEM processes, and are dealing with robust engineering concepts. Whilst the tech might be different, the engineering challenges (on a fundamental level!) don't differ too much. 

They'll mainly need to upskill on HV electrical systems and battery fundamentals, as these are the things that replace the key elements on combustion engines. Getting them clued up on EV development tools like MATLAB and HIL rigs is key too. With a bit of investment into upskilling, layering these new skills on top of their existing vehicle-level skills can be a really effective way to get talented engineers working on your EVP projects.

Typically we see people who make the transition ramp up to being hands-on within a couple of months, provided they've got the right training and support. 

Consumer Electronics

Consumer Electronics tends to translate pretty well as whilst the end products are different, engineers will typically be working on things like cell chemistry, battery management, embedded systems, converters, and more. When they move to EV engineering, the scale increases but the principles remain. 

Companies like Samsung, SDI, LG, and Panasonic often prove to be effective places to fish from for the kinds of skills that translate well into e-powertrain production. The most strategically important parts of EV production revolve around batteries and semi-conductors, so this transferable, highly-technical domain knowledge means engineers can convert (no pun intended, again!) to automotive-focused development pretty successfully. 

Something to note is that a lot of these skills are housed in specific geographical hotspots, so supported relocation might be something you need to consider here. 

The key areas candidates coming from Consumer Electronics will need upskilling in revolves around vehicle integration and other automotive standards. But this won't stop people from becoming operational pretty quickly - we often see people with this background fully up and running within 6 months to a year.

Aerospace, Military, Robotics...

Engineers who've previously worked on robotics and drones can fit into EV powertrain roles because of their experience designing lightweight, high-energy systems that are constrained by space. Their core skills fit well with what they'd need to be successful working on EV batteries, inverters and motors as the challenges they'll have previously faced and the elements that they'll have designed have parallels with EV engineering. 

It's a similar story with candidates coming from the Aerospace, Military or Defence sectors. These engineers are used to working on mission-critical projects and handling complex electrical and propulsion systems (with skills like thermal management and reliability at the forefront). 

With both groups you would need to invest in some upskilling to get them fully set up for working on EV systems. This would typically revolve around automotive-specific standards, functional safety, and vehicle integrations. Much like people who come from a Consumer Electronics background, you can expect this to take between 6 months and a year to play out.

Universities

The last - and often most future-proof - talent pool you can fish from is university programmes. These make excellent talent pools because, on a fundamental level, they teach students core engineering principles, along with things like control theory and systems modelling. Engineers coming from this background will have hands-on skills, giving them a strong foundation to build on in employment.

Plus, as the world becomes increasingly electrified, we're seeing more and more weighting to this on university courses and university-backed research/innovation programmes, as they seek to give their students the best possible basis for the future of work.

These make particularly great hunting grounds for skills if you're looking for long-term loyalty. Securing people as they come out of university into the world of work and providing them with upskilling, development, and (ultimately) autonomy, can build a lot of loyalty within a team - meaning they're often with you for the long haul. 

Get the people you need

If you're working on developing or improving electrified powertrains and want the best people for your team (regardless of what their background is) then we can help you find them. Get in touch on adam.stackhouse@fmctalent.com 

Oh, and if you're working on hydrogen propulsion or synthetic fuels instead, then watch out for our second and third instalments of this series which'll cover where's best to look for the skills you need, too.