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Why AI Transformation is a Human Imperative, and the Role the CHRO Must Play

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A year after IBM’s Deep Blue defeated Garry Kasparov in 1997, Kasparov did something unexpected. Rather than retreat, he invented a new form of chess he called ‘advanced chess’, pairing human players with computers to see what they could produce together. The result was remarkable. Even moderately skilled players, armed with a standard machine, were capable of defeating both grandmasters playing alone and computers operating without human input. The combination was categorically superior to either element in isolation.

By: David Henderson , Group CHRO, Al-Futtaim 

That experiment carries an important lesson for organisations navigating AI today. The instinct understandable, but mistaken, is to frame AI as a technology story. It is not. AI reshapes jobs, redistributes decision rights, resets operating models, and forces us to reconsider deeply embedded ways of working. It intersects directly with creativity, cognition, confidence, identity and employability. It produces as many human questions as it does technical ones.

This is why the organizations that are genuinely converting AI from experiment into competitive advantage are those that have understood it, first and foremost, as a large-scale human transformation, one that demands the business, the CHRO and the CIO working as genuine partners, each bringing what the other cannot.

The organisations winning with AI are not those with the most sophisticated technology. They are those that have most deliberately redesigned how humans and machines work together.

The Case for the CHRO

The most effective AI transformations are driven by a tight three-way partnership:

the business setting the agenda and owning outcomes,

the CIO providing the technology platforms,

data infrastructure and governance,

and the CHRO leading the human transformation that determines whether AI delivers value at scale or stalls in pilots.

Each is essential. None is sufficient alone.

What has changed is the recognition that the human dimension, the design of work and decision rights, the building of workforce capability, the management of trust and ethics, the orchestration of adoption across large and diverse employee populations, is not downstream of the technology. It is a primary enabler of it. That is the CHRO’s territory, and it demands the same strategic weight as the technology agenda itself.

In this paper, I propose a model for how CHROs can lead AI enablement through four interconnected roles: Design Architect, Capability Steward, Adoption Catalyst, and Transition Guardian. Each role addresses a distinct dimension of the human transformation that AI demands. Together, they represent a holistic operating mandate for CHROs who are serious about delivering sustained enterprise value from AI, not just deploying tools.

01) Design Architect: Redesigning work, roles and decision rights for the AI era

AI transformation fails far more often because of organisational design choices than because of technology limitations. When companies deploy AI tools without redesigning how work is done, decision rights blur, accountability erodes, adoption stalls, and productivity gains remain trapped in pilots. The technology is rarely the binding constraint. The organisation almost always is.

The CHRO’s role as Design Architect is to get ahead of that problem. This means providing overarching direction on how work should be redesigned so that human judgment and AI-generated insight are deliberately combined, not accidentally layered on top of each other. It means clarifying which decisions remain human-led, which are AI-supported, and where accountability ultimately sits. And it means building an operating model architecture that is dynamic enough to evolve as AI capabilities continue to develop rapidly.

In my own experience, incrementalism in this domain is almost always destined to fail. The organisations that are getting this right are making bold, decisive design choices, and in some cases, breaking up parts of the organisation that have long been treated as untouchable.

In Practice — Procter & Gamble
P&G redesigned decision models across forecasting, procurement and product innovation so that AI produces insights and options while humans retain final say on portfolio bets, supplier strategy and innovation priorities.

Critically, AI was embedded directly into logistics decision forums — rather than remaining siloed in group-level analytics teams, removing information-sharing barriers and enabling real-time decision-making at scale.

In Practice — Microsoft
Microsoft intentionally redesigned all knowledge-work roles so that AI copilots handle drafting, synthesis and retrieval, while employees retain judgment, prioritisation and accountability. The result was not simply cost reduction,it was the redeployment of released cognitive capacity into revenue-generating innovation and customer experience improvement.

Being intentional on organisational design means staying one step ahead of technological adoption, not one step behind it. The CHRO must proactively reimagine how AI reshapes the value chain and translate that vision into operating model decisions — rather than reactively course-correcting after tools have already been deployed.

02) Capability Steward: Building enterprise-wide, continuous learning systems that keep pace with AI

In the AI era, capability, not technology, is the primary constraint on value creation. The organisations that are scaling AI effectively are not those with the most sophisticated tools. They are those whose people know how to use them confidently, critically, and productively in the context of real work.

The CHRO’s role as Capability Steward is to build the learning infrastructure that makes this possible at scale. This means moving decisively away from episodic, one-size-fits-all training models, which are structurally unsuited to the pace of AI change, towards continuous, contextual learning systems that are embedded in daily workflows.

It means developing AI fluency across the workforce, not just in specialist teams. And it means maintaining ongoing insight into which capabilities are emerging, shifting or declining as the skills economy evolves.

In Practice — Amazon

Amazon treats AI capability as core workforce infrastructure rather than a specialist skill. It has built role-specific learning pathways combining foundational AI fluency with immediate, in-role application, particularly in operations, logistics and corporate functions.

The result has been faster adoption of AI tools across large frontline and corporate populations, with measurable productivity gains driven by applied capability rather than isolated expertise.
From My Experience — Zurich Insurance

During my time at Zurich, we built an enterprise-wide AI and digital capability ecosystem that combined broad AI literacy with deep domain-specific learning for underwriters, claims handlers and risk professionals. Learning was continuous and embedded in daily workflows.

Critically, we also focused on transferable skill identification, enabling us, for example, to rapidly retrain and redeploy claims handlers as customer service agents based on strong overlaps in their underlying skill profiles. That flexibility became a genuine competitive asset.

The CHRO must protect long-term capability health and resilience, not simply optimise for short-term productivity. Organisations that treat AI learning as a one-time training event will struggle to sustain adoption. Those that build continuous learning as an organisational capability will compound their advantage over time.

03) Adoption Catalyst: Empowering employees as co-creators of AI value, not passive recipients of it

Many CHROs of my generation were trained in a change management orthodoxy that starts at the top of the house, guiding coalition, executive sponsorship, structured project timelines. That model is not wrong, but it is increasingly insufficient for AI.

Top-down governance and strategy remain essential. But scalable AI value does not come from mandates. It comes from the bottom up, from employees who understand the work and are empowered to apply AI where insight is deepest and value most immediate.

The CHRO’s role as Adoption Catalyst is to create the conditions for this to happen: building cultures of experimentation and knowledge-sharing, aligning incentives and recognition to reward participation, and enabling employees to co-create AI use cases rather than simply receive them.

This is a fundamental shift from change management to what I would call change orchestration, leaders creating the environment in which adoption flourishes, rather than driving it through compliance.

In Practice — Al-Futtaim Blue Loyalty Platform

The clearest proof point I can offer comes from our own experience at Al-Futtaim. The group’s Blue Loyalty Platform uses AI to combine behavioural, transactional and partner data to deliver personalised offers and purchase recommendations across our retail and service channels.

What made this work was not central design — it was that the use cases were developed by multi-disciplinary frontline retail employees, working in agile action-learning teams, applying their direct customer insight to build the recommendations.

AI was embedded into frontline and digital workflows by the people who understood those workflows best. The result has been measurable revenue uplift driven by use cases rooted in real customer interactions — not boardroom hypotheses.
In Practice — Google

Google runs AI adoption through a culture of experimentation supported by internal communities, shared tooling and lightweight governance. Employees apply AI to improve workflows, products and services; successful use cases are productised and scaled through internal platforms. This produces rapid diffusion of best practices, strong employee ownership, and continuous improvement generated by those doing the work.

Employees need to define the tools they need , not simply learn the tools they are given. That distinction is everything when it comes to whether AI adoption takes root or stalls.

Bottom-up adoption is not a cultural nicety. It is the mechanism through which AI becomes embedded, differentiated and commercially meaningful at scale. Organisations that get this right do not deploy AI. They make AI part of how the organisation thinks.

04) Transition Guardian: Ensuring AI adoption is ethical, transparent, and in the long-term interest of employees

AI introduces legitimate concerns that the CHRO cannot afford to minimise: fairness, transparency, surveillance, bias, job security, long-term employability. If these concerns are not addressed proactively and honestly, trust erodes, and without trust, adoption stalls regardless of how good the technology is.

The CHRO’s role as Transition Guardian is to ensure that AI adoption is consistent with organisational values and strengthens, rather than undermines, the employee value proposition.

This means embedding ethical guardrails and human oversight into AI adoption from the outset, not retrofitting them under regulatory pressure. It means communicating honestly with employees about what AI will change, what it will not change, and what pathways exist for reskilling and redeployment.

And it means treating strategic workforce planning not as an HR administrative function, but as a core enabler of organisational resilience.

Today’s employees need to focus less on specific target jobs and more on building transferable skill profiles that will serve them across a career that is certain to be turbulent. They need to feel that their organisation has their back. The CHRO must make that commitment credible, not through reassurance, but through concrete pathways.

In Practice — Salesforce

Salesforce has embedded ethical and responsible AI as a prerequisite for scale rather than a control imposed after deployment. The company requires mandatory Responsible AI training, applies humanin-the-loop oversight for AI-enabled decisions, and maintains clear disclosure standards when AI influences employee or customer outcomes.

The trust this generates has driven faster adoption, stronger employee engagement, and meaningfully reduced legal, regulatory and reputational risk.
In Practice — Unilever

Unilever explicitly links AI adoption to employability and internal mobility. As AI reshapes roles, the company invests heavily in reskilling and redeployment pathways, reframing AI as augmentation rather than displacement.

Workforce planning, learning and ethics are intentionally connected rather than siloed , and employees can see a credible future for themselves within the transformation.

Trust is not a soft outcome of AI transformation. It is the hard prerequisite for scaling it. The CHRO who treats it as such will find that ethical, transparent AI adoption does not slow the transformation down — it is the thing that makes it durable.

The CHRO Skill set for AI Enablement

Having defined the four roles the CHRO must play, it is worth being specific about the skills and attributes required to execute each one. In an environment where AI success is increasingly determined by organisational design, capability building, adoption dynamics and trust, not technology, these capabilities define whether the CHRO is shaping the transformation or reacting to it.

Design ArchitectCapability StewardAdoption CatalystTransition Guardian
Operating Model DesignLearning at ScaleChange OrchestrationEthical Judgement
Work & Role DeconstructionAI Fluency TranslationEmployee Empowerment MindsetTrust Stewardship
Decision Rights ClaritySkills Architecture & Workforce SensingIncentive & Recognition DesignStrategic Workforce Planning
Systems ThinkingAction Learning SystemsBusiness Experimentation LiteracyRisk Anticipation
Enterprise Co-CreationFuture Capability StewardshipCultural Signal AwarenessClear, Honest Communication

A few points of emphasis.

As Design Architect, the most underrated skill is enterprise co-creation — the confidence and credibility to act as a genuine co-owner of AI strategy with the CIO and business leaders, not merely as a supporting function.

As Capability Steward, future capability stewardship is distinct from short-term productivity optimization; CHROs must protect long-term organisational resilience, not just near-term performance.

As Adoption Catalyst, cultural signal awareness is often more powerful than formal programmes, leadership language and behaviour either accelerate or silently undermine adoption at scale. And as Transition Guardian, clear and honest communication, including on uncertainty and difficult tradeoffs, is the foundation on which all of the other skills rest.

Without it, none of the others land.

Conclusion: The Human Transformation Imperative

Organisations that are genuinely winning with AI are not those with the most sophisticated technology stacks. They are those that have most deliberately and thoughtfully redesigned how humans and machines work together, rethinking operating models, building capability at scale, empowering employees as co-creators, and managing the transition with ethics and transparency.

The CHRO who grasps this, who acts as Design Architect, Capability Steward, Adoption Catalyst and Transition Guardian simultaneously, becomes one of the most important executives in the organisation. Not because HR has staked a claim to a technology agenda, but because the most important levers for AI value creation are organisational and human, and those are precisely the levers that CHROs are equipped to pull.

Kasparov’s advanced chess experiment showed us, a quarter of a century ago, that the most powerful outcomes emerge not from humans or machines working alone, but from their deliberate, skillful combination. The CHRO’s mandate is to make that combination work, at enterprise scale, at pace, and without losing the trust of the people it depends on.

That is not a supporting role. It is a defining one.

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David Henderson is Group CHRO of Al-Futtaim Group, one of the Middle East's largest diversified conglomerates. He has previously served as CHRO of Zurich Insurance Group, MetLife and PepsiCo.

Tech Features

THE BEAUTIFUL GAME, FOR EVERYONE: HOW TECHNOLOGY REWROTE THE RULES OF FOOTBALL FANDOM

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By: Jason Ou, President at Hisense MEA

As the FIFA World Cup 2026 final approaches this week, we reflect on a tournament that transformed how millions experienced the sport, from living room stadiums to quiet spaces in packed arenas

As we count down the final hours before this week’s showpiece final, the FIFA World Cup 2026 has delivered 103 matches across 16 cities, and with it, a reimagining of what “experiencing football” means.  Hisense served as the official and exclusive Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Review TV Provider for the entire tournament across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Every controversial offside call. Every penalty review that had fans screaming at their screens. Every red card confirmation that shifted the momentum of a knockout match. The technology referees used to make those match-defining decisions ran on Hisense RGB MiniLED displays. The Video Operation Room in Zurich was upgraded specifically with these screens because VAR officials needed “clear and authentic restoration of live match footage.”

And it delivered.

Two parallel revolutions unfolded across this tournament: one that transformed homes into legitimate viewing destinations, and another that finally opened stadium doors to millions who’d been locked out for decades.

Hisense made an argument before kickoff: the home viewing experience could, in some ways, surpass what you’d get at the stadium itself. If the technology was precise enough for officiating decisions scrutinized by billions and debated across social media within seconds, it was good enough for living rooms worldwide.

For those who invested in the L9Q TriChroma Laser TV, everyday living spaces became premium match-day destinations throughout the tournament. With ultra-large displays up to 200 inches, fans followed every run, pass, tackle, and goal with remarkable clarity.

The flagship UXS RGB MiniLED TV, powered by breakthrough RGB MiniLED technology that delivers exceptional color accuracy, brightness, and contrast, brought fans closer to every moment on the pitch and created a more immersive and lifelike viewing experience for sports, entertainment, and gaming.

The Party Everyone Could Finally Join

For millions of fans living with autism, PTSD, dementia, anxiety, and other sensory processing conditions, the stadium experience had remained firmly out of reach, a party they could hear from outside but never truly join. This tournament changed that.

At this year’s tournament, all 16 host stadiums featured dedicated sensory rooms, making this the first-ever Sensory Inclusive FIFA World Cup. Hisense collaborated with FIFA and KultureCity to install these spaces across every venue in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and they were used.

As Hisense continues pushing boundaries, making every match feel bigger, every celebration more immersive, and every memory more unforgettable, one truth has emerged from this tournament: the hierarchy of World Cup viewing has been expanded, making room for everyone who loves the beautiful game.

This week, as billions watch the final from living rooms with 300-inch screens and fans with sensory needs take their seats in the stadium, football’s promise will be fulfilled. The beautiful game. Finally, for everyone.

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Tech Features

HOW AI IS RESHAPING HIGHER EDUCATION, AND WHY UNIVERSITIES MUST REINVENT THEMSELVES

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By: Prof. May El Barachi, Dean & Full Professor, University of Wollongong in Dubai

Artificial intelligence is no longer a future technology. It has become part of our everyday lives almost overnight. Whether we are writing emails, analysing data, generating code, creating presentations, or conducting research, AI has fundamentally changed how knowledge is created and consumed.

For higher education, this represents one of the biggest disruptions since the arrival of the internet.

Much of today’s conversation revolves around a simple question: Will AI replace educators?

I believe we are asking the wrong question.

The real question is whether universities can reinvent themselves quickly enough to prepare graduates for an AI-first world.

Having worked extensively with generative AI technologies, I see AI not as a replacement for education, but as an extraordinary opportunity to redefine it. From One-Size-Fits-All Learning to Personalized Education.

Traditional education has largely been built around standardized delivery: one lecturer, one classroom, one pace, and one curriculum for every student.

AI changes that equation.

For the first time, every learner can potentially have access to an intelligent learning companion available 24 hours a day. AI tutors can explain difficult concepts, generate additional practice exercises, adapt explanations to different learning styles, provide immediate feedback, and support students until genuine understanding is achieved.

Instead of asking students to adapt to education, education can finally adapt to students. This has important implications for accessibility, allowing high-quality learning experiences to reach individuals regardless of geography or socioeconomic background.

In many ways, AI has the potential to become the great equalizer in education.

Teaching Students How to Think; Not What to Memorize

At the same time, AI forces universities to rethink their educational philosophy.

When information is instantly accessible, memorization becomes less valuable.

Future graduates will be judged less by what they know, and more by how effectively they can solve problems, evaluate evidence, think critically, collaborate, communicate, and exercise sound judgement. This means assessment methods must evolve as well.

Rather than rewarding students for reproducing information that AI can generate in seconds, universities should increasingly emphasize authentic projects, real-world problem solving, teamwork, creativity, ethical reasoning, and applied learning. Ironically, AI may push higher education to become more human, not less.

Educators Are Becoming AI-Enabled Mentors

There is growing concern that AI will eventually replace lecturers. I see the opposite happening.

The educator’s role is becoming even more important; but it is changing.

Rather than acting primarily as transmitters of knowledge, educators are evolving into mentors, coaches, facilitators, and critical thinking partners who help students interpret information, challenge assumptions, and develop professional judgement.

To do that effectively, universities must invest heavily in AI literacy. Faculty need more than basic familiarity with AI tools. They must understand how these systems work, their limitations, their biases, and how they can be integrated responsibly into teaching, assessment, and research. AI literacy is rapidly becoming as fundamental as digital literacy was twenty years ago.

Preparing Graduates for an AI-First Workforce

Perhaps the biggest transformation is happening outside the classroom. Virtually every profession; from healthcare and finance to engineering, education, law, and government; is being reshaped by AI.

Graduates entering the workforce will collaborate with intelligent systems every day. This requires a new combination of technical and human capabilities. Understanding AI, data, automation, and digital technologies will become essential across disciplines. Equally important will be creativity, emotional intelligence, leadership, adaptability, ethical decision-making, and lifelong learning. The most successful professionals will not compete against AI. They will learn how to work alongside it.

Looking Ahead

The future university may look very different from today’s institution. Degrees are likely to become more modular and flexible, complemented by stackable micro-credentials that allow professionals to continuously update their skills throughout their careers.

Immersive technologies such as virtual and augmented reality will create richer learning experiences, while learning analytics will enable institutions to identify struggling students earlier and provide personalized support. Education will become increasingly global, connected, and lifelong.

The Human Advantage

Despite all these technological advances, one thing remains unchanged. Education has never been solely about transferring knowledge. It is about inspiring curiosity, building confidence, developing character, nurturing empathy, and preparing individuals to make meaningful contributions to society.

No algorithm can replace the inspiration of a great teacher or the mentorship that shapes a student’s future.

AI should not diminish the human element of education. It should amplify it.

The universities that thrive over the next decade will not be those that simply adopt AI tools. They will be those that successfully combine technological innovation with the uniquely human qualities that no machine can replicate. Because ultimately, the future of higher education is not about artificial intelligence. It is about human intelligence; enhanced by AI, guided by educators, and applied to solve the world’s most complex challenges.

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Tech Features

How the power sector can attract the next generation of STEM talent

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By Amjad Alqaqaa – Vice President – MEAI

Power sectors around the world are undergoing rapid transformation. Digital technologies, advanced materials, and the shift towards lower-carbon energy are reshaping how power plants and critical infrastructure are designed, operated, and maintained. Yet one persistent challenge continues to hold the sector back: a shortage of people with the right engineering and technical skills.

As the UAE continues to advance its ambitions as a leading hub for innovation and technology, there is an increasing need to strengthen and future-proof STEM capabilities to keep pace with evolving industry demands. According to a report by STEM workforce consultancy SThree, 40% of STEM professionals in the UAE believe that upskilling and reskilling are the most effective ways to boost productivity and competitiveness. While more than a third (32%) point to skills shortages as a barrier to productivity, highlighting a clear gap between workforce capabilities and industry needs.

Additionally, data from the Hays 2026 US Salary & Hiring Trends Guide indicates that companies in the UAE are starting to slow down recruitment and instead are investing in the skills of their existing workforce, with around 42% of employers prioritising upskilling over hiring.

Research from LinkedIn also suggests demand for green skills is rising much faster than supply, highlighting a widening gap between the skills needed for the energy transition and the talent currently available in the workforce.

For power generation companies, this is more than a recruitment issue. Skills shortages can impact equipment reliability, delay maintenance programmes, and slow the deployment of new technologies. In a sector where uptime, safety, and efficiency are critical, having the right expertise in place is essential.

At the same time, interest in STEM subjects among young people has fallen in recent years.  This weakens the future talent pipeline. This means companies must do more to attract and develop STEM talent.

Showing young people what engineering looks like today

One of the challenges is perception. Many young people still associate engineering with traditional industrial roles, rather than the highly advanced, technology-driven careers available today.

Today’s engineers work with advanced digital tools, automation systems, and real-time monitoring technologies. In the power sector, they help keep turbines, pumps, and other critical systems running efficiently. They also work on challenges linked to sustainability, energy efficiency, and emissions reduction.

To address this gap, employers must play a more active role in educating emerging talent about the career opportunities in the sector. That means working more closely with schools, colleges, and universities to showcase the wide range of careers available across engineering and energy.

Partnerships between industry and academia play an important role here. For example, John Crane works closely with the University of Sheffield to support research and PhD programmes in areas such as materials science and engineering. Collaborations like this help connect academic research with real industrial challenges and encourage more students to consider careers in engineering.

These partnerships also help ensure that new research translates into practical solutions that can support industries such as power generation.

Why apprenticeships matter

Alongside academic pathways, apprenticeships are another key way to attract new talent into engineering.

They offer a practical, accessible route into engineering, allowing individuals to gain hands-on experience while working towards recognised qualifications. For employers, apprenticeships provide an opportunity to develop skills aligned to real operational needs, from maintenance and reliability engineering to digital and software capabilities.

But apprenticeships are not only for new recruits. They can also help people who are already in work develop new skills. Programmes linked to areas such as leadership, project management, and digital technologies allow employees to adapt as roles change and technology evolves.

This matters because the skills challenge is not only about bringing new people into the sector. It is also about helping the existing workforce build the capabilities needed for the future.

Building the right skills through training partnerships

Developing a skilled workforce requires more than internal programmes alone. Strong partnerships with external training providers are essential to ensure employees gain the specialist knowledge needed in highly technical environments.

Working with a network of training providers enables organisations to deliver structured learning alongside on-the-job experience. This approach ensures that training remains aligned with real operational challenges, including maintaining equipment reliability, improving efficiency, and meeting evolving safety standards.

Reaching a broader talent pool

Engineering companies need to widen their outreach and look beyond traditional recruitment channels. This includes engaging with students earlier and encouraging people from different backgrounds to consider technical careers.

In addition, requalification programmes are increasingly important in some regions. For example, in the Czech Republic, targeted requalification initiatives are helping individuals transition from other industries into engineering roles, providing a practical route to address skills shortages while bringing valuable experience into the sector.

Ensuring training programmes cater to a wide range of people with varying levels of experience can upskill new and existing workers and build a healthier talent pipeline. Providing that support is an investment that helps create a stronger, more resilient workforce in the long term.

Building the workforce of the future

The power sector plays a central role in driving the global energy transition. In the Middle East, this transition is expected to drive demand for a wide range of engineering roles, particularly in renewable energy, grid infrastructure, and related technologies, highlighting the need for targeted training and workforce development programmes to equip both new entrants and existing workers with relevant technical skills.

Engineers and technicians will be needed to maintain power plants, improve equipment performance, and develop new energy technologies. But these goals will only be possible if the industry has access to the right skills.

To achieve this, companies must think differently about talent. Strengthening collaboration with educators, improving outreach to diverse talent, and offering practical training routes such as apprenticeships all play an important role in addressing the STEM skills gap.

Apprenticeships alone will not solve the skills gap. But when combined with research partnerships and targeted workforce development, they can play a major role in rebuilding the STEM talent pipeline. By investing in people and skills today, the power sector can build the workforce it needs to support a more reliable and sustainable energy system for the future.


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