Turning over a new leaf The demand for green skills can help spark economic growth Bloemfontein has a population of around 600 000 – which is the scale of ‘green’ jobs that may be needed to meet SA’s climate goals. The National Business Initiative (NBI) estimates that over the next 25 years, the country will require capacity in the region of 400 000 to 600 000 gross jobs to execute the just energy transition (JET). Ideally, 120 000 to 200 000 of these jobs need to be created by 2030, with half of these in the solar energy value chain alone. SA has the blueprint for how to move away from coal. It has $8.5 billion in international finance pledges; and it has the potential workforce (notably the country’s 4.8 million unemployed youth). But it doesn’t (yet) have the necessary green skills. ‘The solution is not just a massive scale-up of training, but a fundamental and sustainable shift towards an agile, co-ordinated, place-based ecosystem approach to skilling,’ says Anthony Gewer, NBI senior programme manager: economic inclusion. Failing to address the green skills gap poses significant risks to the economy and JET. Sean Kruger, senior lecturer at the University of Pretoria’s Centre for the Future of Work, explains why. ‘Renewable energy roll-out, including solar and wind installations, may be hindered, exacerbating energy insecurity and prolonging load shedding,’ he says. ‘The country could face delays in implementing critical green hydrogen projects due to a lack of skilled technicians and engineers, undermining its aspirations to become a global hydrogen exporter. Finally, neglecting green skills development could perpetuate unemployment and deepen socio-economic inequalities, particularly in communities that stand to benefit most from jobs in the green economy.’ Asked about meaningful green job potential for the alarming number of unemployed youth, Kruger says that ‘South Africa’s renewable energy sector offers promising opportunities even without tertiary education. Entry-level roles such as solar panel installation and maintenance, particularly in large-scale solar projects in the Northern and Eastern Cape, can be filled by those with short, targeted training. Similarly, waste management and recycling initiatives, including e-waste and plastic processing, present accessible opportunities in both urban and rural areas’. Ecosystem restoration efforts, such as land rehabilitation tied to green hydrogen projects and reforestation in degraded areas, can also employ unskilled youth with minimal training – as drivers, collectors, safety officers or security, for instance. ‘Additionally, bioenergy supply chains, especially in rural contexts, provide roles in biomass collection and processing, supporting the transition to sustainable energy,’ says Kruger, adding that ‘this aligns with Industry 5.0, where ecosystem enablers towards innovation are key’. But what actually qualifies as ‘green’ jobs? ‘We take a broad view. Some jobs are purely green because they involve working directly with green technologies, others have transformed and are becoming greener in their make-up, while other jobs contribute to the greening of the economy,’ says Gewer. ‘The construction jobs fall in the last category – they aren’t green per se but contribute to the transition to a green economy. Having said that, construction-related jobs are beginning to transform, especially when working with more sustainable building materials and practices.’ Entry-level technical jobs in artisanal industries are also becoming greener, for example plumbing services gearing up to water efficiency and solar heating, or building maintenance focusing more on energy efficiency. And the deployment of solar, wind and other renewable technology creates green employment and SMME opportunities downstream. ‘The reality is that all jobs can potentially become green jobs over time, and we have started to embed green skills into all occupations and all curriculum across fields of study,’ adds Gewer. In future, green skills will become even more important, locally and globally. LinkedIn’s 2024 Global Green Skills report found that the global demand for green talent grew twice as quickly as supply between 2023 and 2024, with demand increasing by 11.6% and supply by 5.6%. Last year 7.7% of job postings on LinkedIn were for a green job or required green skills. The NBI is currently evaluating what types of green skills, in which geographic areas and by whom will be required in SA – via the JET Skilling for Employment programme endorsed by the Presidency and supported by CEOs of leading SA companies. Most of the green skills required now and in the future are low- to semi-skilled labourers, with engineers, technicians and artisans making up about 25% of the demand. ‘Besides the solar and wind technicians, there’s a broad-based need for artisans, engineers and project managers with specific on-the-job training,’ according to Gewer. ‘The biggest challenge for companies is not so much finding artisanal or engineering graduates, but rather finding graduates who are work-ready for these emerging technologies. So there’s a big need for work-based learning that companies aren’t currently providing. We’re beginning to engage with companies in the renewable energy industry around expanding access to work-based learning for graduates to bridge this gap and increase the supply of work-ready skilled youth.’ Schools and TVET colleges are at the centre of equipping young South Africans with the skills needed for the renewable energy sector. Kruger suggests schools should introduce foundational subjects such as renewable energy principles and environmental science to spark early interest. ‘This could also include futures and sustainability, looking how we can do things differently, and creating job opportunities while reducing environmental impacts,’ he says. Many TVET colleges in SA are offering renewable energy training programmes, particularly solar PV installer courses. And then there’s the flagship SA Renewable Energy Technology Centre at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, which offers internationally recognised qualifications – such as the Global Wind Organisation basic technical training –and has a state-of the art wind turbine for training purposes. However, this is where the NBI’s demand-driven, place-based ecosystem approach for green skilling comes in. Firstly, it advocates for training to be delivered where the opportunities are. ‘Invariably, these opportunities are localised around project sites or industrial operations, and concentrated efforts are needed to ensure the opportunities are unlocked and accessible to all,’ says Gewer. ‘Practically speaking, the place-based ecosystem approach entails mapping out local economic opportunities in the context of climate change and the energy transition – both for enterprise development and employment creation – and local role players, such as industry, government, training institutions, and so on, within a defined geographical region. It also entails understanding what interventions and support is needed for SMMEs and young people to access these opportunities, and how local resources can be galvanised and co-ordinated to achieve local economic growth objectives, particularly in the context of climate change and the effects of the energy transition. We are undertaking this work in multiple locations in Mpumalanga and other parts of the country.’ Secondly, institutions need to take note of the real demand for green skills and adapting current programmes or introducing new programmes to respond to these. The NBI found that donors and government are putting emphasis on renewable energy training without really understanding the nature of demand, which has led to the training system being under pressure to deliver on these even in the absence of demand. ‘This is what we mean by avoiding a massive scaling up of training, because we exacerbate the creation of a training market that doesn’t contribute to successful labour market transitions,’ says Gewer. ‘In the TVET system, we’re looking beyond the narrow energy value chains at green skills more broadly, working with SETAs to develop new programmes based on demand, and supporting the colleges to develop medium-term strategies around new programmes on the basis of emerging demand. At a minimum, we are trying to integrate green skills across the curriculum and into work readiness programmes.’ Here the private sector plays an instrumental role in informing the design of training programmes – to ensure that the green skilling, reskilling and upskilling meet the needs of industry and create the 400 000 to 600 000 green jobs that are needed for the just energy transition. By Silke Colquhoun Image: Gallo/Getty Images