You’ve likely seen the statistics by now, indicating that the biggest opportunity for jobs around the world is in the renewable energy industry.
Governments and businesses around the world are investing heavily in alternative energy systems to become more self-sufficient and reduce the cost and environmental harm incurred by burning fossil fuels for power, and because of the increase in demand there is also a need for more people working “green jobs”. Some even say there is a specific need for more women in the green jobs sphere.
While the renewable energy industry is already huge (2.3 million people employed worldwide), by 2030 there is projected to be an additional 2.1 million wind power jobs, and 6.3 million solar power jobs.
So how do you get a job in this booming industry? Like most other industries, it starts with training.
There are specialized courses you can take that are geared directly towards a specific area of the industry. Take, for instance, Ploughcroft Training Centre in the UK. Since landing a £120,000 investment on Dragon’s Den last August, Ploughcraft has become one of the most well known renewable energy training centres in the world, with a wide variety of solar and roofing courses, including:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5TP7lqIb0g]
- Solar panel installation
- Solar PV for electricians
- Solar thermal for plumbers
- Solar PV for roofers
- Eco roofing
- and many more
The variety of training courses provided by Ploughcraft in the solar category alone illustrates the range of specialties which are emerging in the renewable energy industry. In addition to solar, there are training centres around the world that provide education on wind, geothermal, biomass, biofuel, hydro power, and many others. And as Ploughcroft’s owner explains in the video posted above, there are many opportunities for traditional construction workers to train and add renewable energy installation or maintenance to their line of services.
If you’re looking to enrol in a training course to get your foot in the door of the sustainability sector and get a job with a renewable energy business, just Google “renewable energy programs” in your area and you should have no problem finding a school or training centre.
Have you taken a course that helped you land a green job? Share your story in the comments!
