!WANTED! Skilled Individuals in the Renewable Energy Sector
Wondering what will be your next career move ? New report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), shows that jobs in the wind, solar and other clean energy sectors grew by nearly 1 million since 2012, reaching 6.5 million in 2013. The largest employers being China, Brazil, the United States, India, Germany, Spain and Bangladesh, but that skill shortage ”are already creating bottlenecks for deployment in some countries”.
According to IRENA report, employers identified renewable energy occupations that was ”difficult to fill”, such as:
- Wind energy: Project developers; service technicians; data analysts; electrical, computer, mechanical and construction engineers.
- Solar energy: Photovoltaic and solar thermal system installers and maintainers; building inspectors.
- Hydropower: Electrical, and operations and maintenance engineers; technicians; tradespersons; sustainability specialists.
- Geothermal: Trainers; geothermal engineers.
- Bioenergy: R&D and design engineers; service technician; trainers.
The report also says that ”Education and training are critical enablers for employment in this relatively new and highly dynamic sector.”
Feeling like one of these occupation could be your dream job ?
In the United States, The U.S Department of Energy provide you lists of:
- Colleges and universities with degree programs or specializations in clean energy fields
- Community colleges and training centers
- Energy Workforce Training (Government agencies fund specific trainings and courses in Energy and Manufacturing at various Community College and Universities )
You can also check out a ”Complete Guide to Renewable Energy Training and Education” on renewableenergyjobs.com who is also listing college and universities offering renewable energy degree programs in Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, UK and also US.
In Australia:
- University of South Australia
- University of New South Wales (School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering)
- Murdoch University in Western Australia (Perth)
Photo credit: Black Rock Solar photovoltaic array at Food Bank of Northern Nevada by BlackRockSolar on Flickr