Following an invitation by the organizers of the two-day international online conference on SME, Vocational Education Training Providers (VET), IENE’s Research Fellow, Irene Terzidou, participated contributing her insight on “Energy Transition and Green Skills”Following an invitation by the organizers of the two-day international online conference on SME, Vocational Education Training Providers (VET), IENE’s Research Fellow, Irene Terzidou, participated contributing her insight on “Energy Transition and Green Skills”
«Greening the economy will inevitably change the skills required and the tasks involved in many of the existing occupations» underlined Irene in her opening remarks. Clarifying the concepts “green jobs” and “skills” allows us to identify what kind of employment opportunities are likely to be created by the transition to a low-carbon economy, and what kind of skills may be in demand, as a result.
The focus is placed on the energy sector which is undergoing a major transformation. The implications of the Paris Agreement are presented, with a focus on jobs. The evolution of global energy jobs and global jobs in the renewable sector by 2050, based on data from International Energy Agency and the International Renewable Energy Agency, show a net positive development. The occupations and skill sets in current and future demand in the renewable energy sector are analyzed and the occupation change profiles are under examination. The case of Greece is presented in terms of the number of SMEs operating in the energy sector and the transformation the Greek energy is undergoing, as a result of the fossil fuel plant phase out and the renewable sector growth.
The full presentation of Irene Terzidou can be seen here.
