Utilities face a growing challenge, that this workshop addresses. The universities and engineering schools do not train enough power systems experts. Furthermore, not all trainees take a jop in the area from which they have majored. Hence utilities are lead to hire non-expert engineers in their power systems areas. These include graduates from a different background than electrical engineering, as well as experienced engineers encouraged to change field by their employers.

Another issue at stake is that an older generation of power systems experts is very knowledgeable, and the question arises of how to benefit from this expertise to train the newcomers in the field.

So utilites face the question on the one hand of training newcomers, and on the other hand, to retain the expertise of experienced engineers about to leave the field. The issue of this paper is to encourage initiatives of Knowledge Management (KM) in order to solve both these issues at the same time. It illustrates the issue with a practical implementation, the DIALECT Knowledge Management System.

KM is not a new concept ; the nuclear industry for instance have used in order to keep a precious knowledge before the experts retired. Our view is that these systems could be developed further for the power industry. It could be the subject of joint, multi- utility initiatives, and have the backing of universities and engineering schools. Cigré or IEEE could be meeting places in this area, and enable exchanges on fruitful experience.