Electricians, Automation, and the Future: Low Risk, High Demand, and New Opportunities

Chariho Career and Technical Center's Electrical Technology class visited ProSystems Integration, an automation company in Westerly, to give students a look at career opportunities in the industrial side of the field. A former student of the class, Chariho alumnus and engineer at ProSystems Jesse Brunelle, alongside his father, John, president and owner of ProSystems Integration, gave the students a tour of the facility, explaining what multiple machines do and their purposes. They explained that the industry is heavily driven by customer demand, with a wide variety of systems designed for different applications. These projects range from equipment used to make medical tubing for hospitals, to automated systems for companies such as Hershey Chocolate and Krispy Kreme.

Level Automation has upgraded from the Simatic S7-1200 to the new generation of the Simatic S7-1200 G2 control system. The new Simatic S7-1200 G2 family is certified according to the cybersecurity standard IEC 62443, an important piece of the puzzle due to the increased requirements of the NIS2 Directive for socially important activities.

A recent report by construction scheduling platform Planera found that electricians have only a 14% automation risk. The report highlights that this role sits at the intersection of low automation risk and rising necessity, especially as infrastructure evolves. An automation expert from Planera stated, “The electrician shortage is projected to worsen through 2030, with over 80K new positions expected nationally, driven by aging infrastructure, EV charging networks, and the energy transition. The irony is that AI data centers, the very technology driving automation fears, need electricians to get built and kept running. That’s about as future-proof as a job can get.”

Post Electric, a licensed electrical contractor serving Southwest Missouri, has expanded its residential electrical services to include comprehensive home automation and smart technology integration capabilities. The enhanced service offerings come after an 18-month period during which the company experienced increased requests for electrical upgrades and smart home installations. Post Electric has invested in advanced diagnostic equipment and expanded its technical expertise to serve homeowners throughout the region, particularly those with properties built before 1990 that require significant electrical infrastructure updates.

Several major companies are currently hiring electrical engineers. These include NVIDIA, Apple, Tesla, Intel, and Siemens. The demand for electrical engineers is being driven by the growth of artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, and automation.

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