The transition to a clean energy future is hampered by a critical shortage of skilled workers. As the demand for green jobs surges, the supply of qualified talent falls short. According to LinkedIn’s Global Green Skills Report 2023, green talent in the workforce increased by 12.3%, while job postings requiring green skills grew by a median of 22.4% between 2022 and 2023.
The skill-based approach is seen as the most promising path forward, however, the lack of education supporting clean energy globally is another hurdle that has to be navigated.
India and China in Asia Pacific have made notable progress due to the growing number of educational programmes. However, other Asian countries are lagging. According to a study, private universities have been more active than public universities in promoting renewable energy education.
Challenges impacting the clean energy sector
Despite the significant growth in the clean energy sector, driven by government commitments to net-zero emissions, several challenges persist. Kamaljeet Kaur, Group Chief People Officer at Gensol Engineering Ltd., notes that the ambitious target of creating 35 million green jobs by 2047 presents both opportunities and hurdles.
However, several challenges hinder the sector’s progress, with a shortage of skilled people being the key obstacle. “This has led to a disparity between the demand for and supply of qualified workers, resulting in unsustainable costs. With the rapid emergence of new technologies in the clean energy sector, an untapped pool of talent has yet to be fully leveraged,” highlights Kamaljeet Kaur.
Another big challenge, she points out is that the educational institutes are not aligned with economic growth and there are no specialised institutes or courses focused on the latest technologies and advancements in clean energy space. “This lack of targeted education contributes to the skill shortage. Herein, public-private partnerships can play a key role. Such collaborations can help bridge the gap between demand and supply, ensuring the timely completion of projects.”
Kamaljeet Kaur also stresses that diversity is another area of concern hindering the growth of the clean energy sector in India. “There is a noticeable gender gap, with companies striving to promote women in leadership roles. Efforts to provide mentorship and networking opportunities at entry and mid-levels, along with policies fostering a supportive environment for women, are essential to creating a more inclusive workforce.”
Overall, there is a need for better integration and synergies between the clean energy sector, government initiatives on upskilling the workforce, educational institutes, and private organisations to unlocking the full potential of the clean energy sector.
Addressing the skill shortage in the clean energy sector
Gensol Group, informs Kamaljeet follows a multi-pronged strategy of hiring via the Build, Buy, and Borrow model to address the shortage of skilled workforce in the clean energy sector.
Build – We believe in building diverse capabilities within the organisation through the process of structured training programs, cross-functional exposures and on-the-job learning opportunities. This helps us to create a pool of fungible talent in the organization. Further, we promote mobility of internal talent within the organisation and different group entities in renewable energy and electric mobility and encourage employees to take up roles based on their skills and aspirations. This helps us to have access to a skilled workforce within the organization.
Buy – We have a focused strategy for acquiring external talent from the market based on our current and future business requirements. We offer competitive pay package and benefits to attract good talent. We also engage with several top colleges and institutions to provide opportunities to talent from the campus.
Borrow – We collaborate with various consulting and advisory firms, independent consultants to leverage on their expertise and industry experience.
In-demand green skills
According to Kamaljeet, there are a lot of niche skills in demand within her organisation and across geographies. “With multiple newer technologies emerging in EV manufacturing, specialised skills like Cloud Technology, ADAS, knowledge of various battery charges is another core skill required for green energy sector,” she explains.
“Recently, one of our group companies, Matrix Gas and Renewables, has forayed into the Green Hydrogen business where we are building key capabilities in the areas of electrolyser manufacturing, design, technology, green derivatives like Green Ammonia and Green Steel.”
“We are heavily investing in building capabilities in critical areas such as battery storage. Here, our focus extends to the development and application of advanced battery management systems, energy management systems, as well as the establishment of robust battery storage infrastructure.”
Apart from these functional skills, we also emphasize a lot on alignment with organizational culture and our iCARE value system (Innovation, Collaboration, Agility, Respect and Entrepreneurship).