Intergenerational Knowledge Transfer and Technical Workforce Development in The Net-Zero Transition

The confluence of demographic attrition, sustainable industrial transformation, and generational cognitive differences presents an unprecedented challenge to engineering workforces. As senior technical professionals retire, they carry with them decades of tacit operational knowledge essential for energy-efficient production. Simultaneously, the material and technological foundations of engineering practice are shifting toward net-zero systems, demanding fundamentally new competencies. This review synthesizes evidence from human resource management, knowledge management theory, engineering education, and organizational behavior to examine the intersection of these forces. We identify three compounding challenges: the erosion of tacit knowledge through demographic attrition, the emergence of new competency requirements driven by sustainable material transitions, and the cognitive friction between analog expertise and digital-native learning modalities. Analysis of recent empirical studies on intergenerational knowledge transfer among engineers reveals that generational differences significantly influence knowledge-sharing effectiveness, with organizational culture and structured transfer mechanisms moderating these effects. The review proposes an integrated framework emphasizing systematic identification of critical expertise, structured mentorship architecture, pedagogical adaptation to generational learning differences, and organizational infrastructure supporting technical career development. We conclude that organizations failing to bridge the intergenerational knowledge chasm risk not only competitive disadvantage, but the systematic erosion of the operational intelligence required for sustainable industrial transformation.