The energy transition needs skilled workforce. To reach climate neutrality by 2050, it is crucial to equip installers with the right skillset to install different renewable solutions, often in combination, to successfully implement renewable energy technologies across Europe.
Union of Skills
In her Political Guidelines for the 2024-2029 term, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has placed skills high on the political agenda, calling for the establishment of a “Union of Skills”.
More renewables, more jobs: A win-win situation for the energy transition:
The upscaling of renewables in Europe and beyond leads to more employment opportunities in the RES sector. In 2023, there has been an 18% increase of renewable energy jobs worldwide to 16.2 million as detailed in a 2024 joint report of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the International Labour Organization. In Europe, the solar thermal sector aims to provide 250,000 jobs by 2030. To ensure qualitative work in the renewables sector, providing education and training to present and future workforce must be a priority.
Our policy demand:
Solar Heat Europe is part of the Large-Scale Partnership on Renewable Energy Skills, which brings together leaders from the entire spectrum of the renewable energy value chain. Its aim is to establish a well-trained and sufficient renewable energy workforce through cross-sectoral cooperation and by providing guidance and recommendations to public authorities.
In October 2024, the Partnership drafted key priorities to reach EU Climate and Energy targets through the creation of 3.5 million new clean energy jobs by 2030, identifying this as a crucial element for Europe’s sustainable prosperity and competitiveness. Apart from calling on EU policymakers to make workforce training in renewable energies part of the Clean Industrial Deal’s objectives, the one-pager highlights the importance of providing vocational education and training, making the renewables sector attractive career-wise, and ensuring recognition and mobility in educational pathways and the job market.
Read the entire one-pager by the Renewable Energy Skills Partnership: