Global effort seeks bridging skills gap
JOBS4RE can create invaluable opportunities. But at the heart of this initiative is the drive to empower people for a just transition
Daily TribuneJOBS4RE can create invaluable opportunities. But at the heart of this initiative is the drive to empower people for a just transition
The urgent need for a just transition to mitigate the climate crisis had been a prevailing theme at the 28th Conference of the Parties, or COP28, in Dubai.
Against the backdrop of a growing skills gap to enable a balanced transition, the Danish government announced during the climate summit that it will look positively on future collaboration on the new initiative aimed to accelerate the upskilling and reskilling of a global workforce for the renewable energy industry.
The initiative was announced last 5 December at a ministerial event organized by the Global Offshore Wind Alliance, co-founded by Denmark, the International Renewable Energy Agency and the Global Wind Energy Council.
"JOBS4RE can create invaluable opportunities. But at the heart of this initiative is the drive to empower people for a just transition," Danish Ambassador to the Philippines Franz-Michael Mellbin indicated.
"While it is positive that an increasing number of offshore wind and other renewable energy projects are being planned all over the world, it becomes clear that the growing lack of skilled workers hampers the faster deployment of projects," Denmark Climate Change Ambassador Tomas Anker Christensen said.
JOBS4RE seeks to create a flexible and globally capable renewable energy labor pool by defining training standards initially for the wind industry, with the view of expanding to the solar industry later on.
Central to the initiative is scalability, aligning the renewable energy industry's needs with ongoing skills development efforts by governments, international organizations and technical schools.