I have been involved in the HV Power Industry since I crossed the threshold of a small factory in the Province of Ontario which produced pole top distribution transformers in 1971. Fresh from secondary school, where at the time a 5-year program in Science Technology & Trades was offered, I applied for a job at this factory. I was hired that day as I knew how to ‘lead a bead’.
Since that day, and thanks to the education I had in the basics of ‘shop’ work, as well as physics and chemistry - including how to set up and read meters, read drawings and use a slide rule for computations - I began what has turned out to be a long and progressive apprenticeship in this industry, which continues to this day.
I am not an engineer with formal training and license, but the knowledge that was shared with me by many supervisors, peers, managers and mentors in all aspects of life, has brought me to a point where I now look back with some satisfaction, but also a good deal of concern.
The concern is who will step in to fill the gap, as I, along with many others of my generation, reach a point in life where our collective knowledge will no longer be readily available to the younger people who decided to take up the roles we played.
The concern is who will step in to fill the gap, as I, along with many others of my generation, reach a point in life where our collective knowledge will no longer be readily available to the younger people who decided to take up the roles we played.
The past few years I have made it a point to share what I have learned from experiences in growing up through the ranks of the transformer industry and participating in the early stages of the application of online monitoring technologies on transformers.
I have shared the knowledge gained from various forums, such as factory and field experience, observations, getting your hands dirty, and most importantly, ASKING QUESTIONS to those who have traveled this road before me.
Utilities that produce and deliver electrical energy have a vital role to play in developing the young talent that arrives at their door. Some but not all have taken it on with dedicated apprenticeship programs in their companies, others hire interns who, based on their aptitude, curiosity, and willingness to learn by experience and working with the veterans, discover different paths within this industry to develop a passion for their role in it. After all, much of what they learn from the veterans will not be found in a textbook.
Another avenue to learn is via participation in organizations such as IEEE, IEC, CIGRE and CIRED, where networking with like-minded people can lead to a lifetime of networking, and learning, with active participation in standards and guides development. I have found more than a few utilities and larger power users don’t sponsor aspiring talent to participate, citing ‘budget’ and/or travel restrictions.
In my mind this is a very short-sighted position to take, not to say disappointing to the individual who want to participate. Not only that, but the various working groups I have been in and continue to be involved with express the need for more involvement by the end users (in this case transformer users) in providing their input to these guides and standards.
This avenue, wherein my past employers did support me in active participation in IEEE and CIGRE, as well as other industry-focused events, played a major role in my career. This led to writing papers and columns in trade journals, where in some cases we passed along our experiences and ideas with other co-authors, hopefully leaving a trail in print for others to follow.
If you have a curious mindset, carry on and build on it. My personal takeaway message is NEVER STOP ASKING QUESTIONS.
Producing webinars was another useful exercise that provided focus in the spoken word on specific topics of interest. These will live on.
The feedback I have received from many people around the world who, at times, witnessed these live in the middle of their nighttime, has indicated to me that the effort was worthwhile.
People ask me “What can I do to have a career like yours?”
One answer is to develop a skillset that includes effective public speaking. This is a skill one can learn. Many, including myself at the beginning, were not comfortable getting up and speaking in front of a crowd on a topic they know inside out. Learning this skill will benefit you in a professional and personal sense for the rest of your life.
If you have a curious mindset, carry on and build on it. My personal takeaway message is NEVER STOP ASKING QUESTIONS.
Brian Sparling, SLMIEE (a Senior Life Member of IEEE), is the Senior Transformer Technical Advisor with Kinectrics Inc. Brian has over 20 years of experience in the field of power and distribution transformers.
For the past 30 years, he has been involved in all aspects of monitoring, diagnostics, and condition assessment of power transformers. He has authored and co-authored more than 34 technical papers on various topics dealing with monitoring and diagnostics of transformers. He has contributed to many guides and standards with the Canadian Electricity Association, IEEE Transformers Committee, and the Cigré A2 Transformers Committee.
