New skills for the energy transition: Why VET needs to adapt faster
The energy transition does not only require new technologies — it also requires people who know how to work with them. And this is increasingly becoming a challenge. Across Europe, the demand for technical professionals in the renewable energy sector is growing faster than the available workforce. At the same time, job profiles are changing rapidly: installers and technicians increasingly work with smart systems, data analytics, and hybrid energy solutions. Traditional education and training structures are struggling to keep pace.
Within the Erasmus+ project MiCRET (Microcredentials for Renewable Energy Technicians), partners from six European countries explored which skills will be crucial for the renewable energy sector in the coming years. CINOP is one of the project partners and contributed to this research. The recently published Skills Needs Analysis demonstrates that the energy transition is not only a technological challenge, but also a challenge for education and labour markets.
From traditional installer to hybrid energy professional
DThe analysis shows that the profile of the renewable energy technician is changing significantly. While jobs previously focused mainly on mechanical installation and maintenance, the emphasis is now shifting towards:
As a result, technicians increasingly need a combination of technical, digital, and green skills. Above all, the ability to continuously adapt to changing technologies is becoming essential.
This aligns with broader European developments. Several European studies warn that shortages of qualified professionals are among the main bottlenecks for the energy transition. The challenge is not only attracting new workers, but also rapidly upskilling and reskilling the existing workforce.
Why traditional training models are under pressure
One of the key findings of MiCRET is that many traditional VET systems are not flexible enough to respond quickly to new developments. Developing formal qualifications often takes years, while technologies and labour market demands evolve much faster.
This creates a growing tension: companies need professionals with immediately applicable skills, education systems often work with long development and accreditation cycles, and professionals themselves increasingly need short and targeted learning opportunities alongside their jobs.
The MiCRET research therefore highlights the growing importance of short-cycle and modular learning approaches, such as microcredentials and so-called “learning pills”: compact learning units focused on concrete skills that can be directly applied in the workplace.
Microcredentials as an opportunity for flexibility
Across Europe, microcredentials are increasingly seen as a way to make education more flexible and labour-market relevant. Instead of focusing exclusively on full diplomas or qualifications, professionals can also demonstrate and accumulate smaller learning outcomes.
For the renewable energy sector, this offers important advantages:
At the same time, the research also shows that standardisation and quality assurance remain essential. Employers need to trust the quality and recognition of microcredentials — including across borders. This is why MiCRET pays particular attention to European transparency tools and shared quality frameworks.CRET nadrukkelijk naar Europese transparantie-instrumenten en gedeelde kwaliteitskaders.
The energy transition requires ecosystems
Another important insight from the project is that solving skills shortages is not solely the responsibility of education providers. Effective solutions emerge through collaboration between education institutions, companies, sector organisations, governments, and regional ecosystems.
Increasingly, it is becoming clear that training programmes can no longer be developed separately from the practical contexts in which people will work. This requires continuous dialogue between education and labour markets, co-creation of learning content, and flexible forms of workplace learning.
What does this mean for the Netherlands?
For the Netherlands, these insights are particularly relevant. Pressure on technical labour markets is increasing here as well, while major ambitions exist around wind energy, grid congestion, sustainable buildings, and energy storage.
Dutch VET and mbo institutions play a key role in this transition. But this also raises important questions: how can training systems remain sufficiently flexible without compromising the quality and recognition of qualifications?
Developments around microcredentials, lifelong learning, and public-private partnerships offer opportunities to respond more quickly and effectively to emerging skills needs. At the same time, this requires new forms of cooperation, governance, and quality assurance.
From analysis to experimentation
Within MiCRET, the work does not stop at analysis alone. The next phase focuses on developing and testing flexible training approaches and microcredentials that better match the evolving practice of renewable energy technicians.
In doing so, the project addresses an increasingly urgent question:
How can we ensure that education does not merely follow the energy transition — but actively helps shape it?
