14 Young People’s Agenda: Promising Ideas 15Young People’s Agenda: Promising Ideas14

Green Economy

How can we assist young people to acquire the skills necessary for jobs in the rapidly growing renewable energy sector (i.e. solar/wind/bio)?

According to the ILO’s Green Jobs Initiative, the transition to a greener economy could generate 15 to 60 million additional jobs globally over the next two decades and lift tens of millions of workers out of poverty.g

Globally, renewable energy employment reached 10.3 million jobs in 2017 - an increase of 5.3 per cent within a year.h

15 to 60 million additional jobs

10.3 millionjobs

2016 2017

5.3%

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16 Young People’s Agenda: Promising Ideas 17Young People’s Agenda: Promising Ideas

How can we assist young people to acquire the skills necessary for jobs in the rapidly growing renewable energy sector (i.e. solar/wind/bio)?

What can be done?

The renewable energy sector is experiencing rapid job growth across developed and developing economies. Globally, the renewable energy sector had 10.3 million jobs in 2017, an increase of 5.3 per cent from 2016.6

Young people need to be provided with the training, education and skills required to meet these new demands. In most economies, an on-ramp to these jobs has not been clearly established.

According to the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Green Jobs Initiative, the transition to a green economy could generate 15 to 60 million additional jobs globally over the next two decades and lift tens of millions of workers out of poverty.7

Young people are well positioned to invest in learning green skills. With the growing demand, the benefits of having these skills are likely to pay off for decades to come.

Young people have also demonstrated an interest in working on these issues, because of both the earning opportunity as well as the positive impact they can have on society.

In Africa, the potential for off-grid jobs is especially high.

For many green jobs, only modest modifications are required to existing training programmes in construction and electrical engineering.

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• Partner with universities to train more young people on the policy dimensions of renewable energy

Map green careers for young people, and provide guidance on what a green career looks like

The Opportunity

Discussion and Co-creation

with...

Affordable solar lighting solutions providers for off-grid communities

Private foundations working to incorporate smart power for rural development

A development project incubator

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The most viable models for providing green energy, and therefore green jobs, are location specific. This requires working with communities and local firms.

Young people have made considerable inroads into the renewable energy sector where they have been able to incorporate their digital and entrepreneurial skills.

Over the previous two decades, attempts to integrate solar energy in communities where costs were high and support systems were weak led to a negative reputation for solar power. This has to be overcome if young people are to be drawn into the sector.

Availability of skilled workers varies considerably by location – yet demand is fairly widespread.

Although the number of entrants in the renewable energy sector is growing, a large share of them are specialized in installation and maintenance of grids and devices. There is also demand for people working on the policy side.

Commission-based work holds potential for young people who are interested in working in the sector.

There is a large amount of capital being drawn into the sector but it is aimed at large-scale investments. Analyze the scope for stacking-up small scale investment needs to match available capital

There are unique opportunities to expand green jobs for young people in urban areas, as there is a growing number of young entrepreneurs who deploy green technology to start their own businesses.

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What the experts

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The Problem

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