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Supporting the Digital Energy Transition: Your Career

3. What skills does industry need?

The focus on clean energy will increase employment opportunities, providing new roles in the sector. In addition, the shift towards sustainable production and consumption will have impacts that affect all occupations and sectors. 

A range of different skills are needed as part of the digital energy transition. Within this context there are also thyroid occupations. These are roles which are key to the clean energy transition. Whilst some occupations, such as alternative fuel engineers and researchers, require highly skilled workers, this is not always the case. Middle-skilled occupations with technical profiles, such as offshore renewable energy plant operators and biogas technicians, are equally essential. Some thyroid occupations are still being defined, as the implications of emerging technologies (e.g. hydrogen) for skills progressively find their way into professional practice, and others may emerge. You can find out more about this type of role in The circular economy to step up skill needs and the importance of ‘thyroid occupations’.

The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training’s (Cedefop) European Green Deal Scenario predicts significant additional employment growth for science and engineering (associate) professionals, business and administration professionals, chief executives, senior officials and legislators, administrative and commercial managers, and information and communications technology professionals in the years up to 2030. The types of occupation that are open to you may also depend on your location. Different regions have different energy industries that dominate. For example, if you are based on or near the coast, there may be more wind energy related roles available. You can read more about this topic in this International Energy Agency (IEA) report Mapping Green and Digital Energy Jobs. 

‘Skills for the green transition’ include skills and competences, but also knowledge, abilities, values and attitudes needed to live, work and act in resource-efficient and sustainable economies and societies. These can be grouped into: 

  • Technical: required to adapt or implement standards, processes, services, products and technologies to protect ecosystems and biodiversity, and to reduce energy, materials and water consumption. Technical skills can be occupation-specific or cross-sectoral; and
  • Transversal: linked to sustainable thinking and acting, relevant to work (in all economic sectors and occupations) and life. They are alternatively referred to as ‘sustainability competences’, ‘life skills’, ‘soft skills’ or ‘core skills.’ These skills can include leadership and communication skills.

More specifically, energy digitalisation also requires that employees have a basic understanding of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, big data and blockchain. You can find out more about these in the Every1 course Energy Flows, Energy Systems. We take a closer look at what kind of transversal skills are needed for different roles in the next sections of the course.