Management education for a sustainable electric power industry in the 21st century

This paper presents the results of research and outlines the experience in the adoption of new methods for the training of energy managers that meet the 21st century challenges. The analysis shows that the management (both in energy companies and business consumers) are not qualified to operate on global and national competitive energy markets: managerial decisions there are taken amid high risk and uncertainty; decisions are often taken in response to changes in the external environment; new unconventional approaches are needed for a successful result; the price of a bad management decision grows substantially. The empirical data that were obtained through the research shows the importance of the background knowledge of engineering and energy production technologies for managerial training; of developing readiness for innovative practices; of mastering pro-active self-development techniques. An interdisciplinary approach that puts together the "energy technologies-safety and environment-economics and finance-management" chain becomes the methodological foundation for energy training. The article looks at prerequisites, peculiarities and principles of global energy education and training of corporate managers, civil servants and other professionals who are involved in the electric power industry. © 2014 WIT Press.International Journal of Safety and Security Engineering;International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning;WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environmen