This paper discusses the implications of the introduction of renewable energy systems – in particular the solar energy and wind energy – for the labour market. The main point of interest is to clarify the qualification needs for skilled workers.

The key questions for such clarification are the following:

-         What kinds of skill needs and labour market pressures can be seen in this field in different European countries?

-         How has the theme ‘renewable energy’ been taken up in the initial and continuing training provisions? Do these provisions meet the labour market demands?

-         What kind of learning strategies and arrangements can be used to develop the essential competences for this field?

All over Europe renewable energy systems become an important source for heat and electrical power, because fossil energy will become more expensive and short in the future. The political goal is to keep Europe more independent from importing oil, gas and coal. Besides offering new sources for energy, the sector is also gaining importance for the labour market. For example, in Germany 38.000 people are employed directly in the wind industry. In 2020, an estimated 325.000 people will be employed in the wind industry (cf. WA 2009). A similar development takes place in other branches of renewable energy, such as solar or geothermal industry.

In Germany, the wind energy sector already reports a shortage of skilled workers. The German wind industry is very export-oriented, so the skilled workers installing windmills abroad need foreign language skills (especially English and Spanish) and skills for intercultural communication. Another important field is qualification for offshore wind parks (cf. EQUIB 2005). In Italy, the situation is quite different. Compared to Germany, the possible sites for installing wind parks are not yet exploited. Instead, small-scale wind mills play a more important role than in Germany, where the use of wind energy is dominated by big wind parks. Of course, this situation is reflected in initial and further education.

The European cooperation project “renewable energy solutions” RES also deals with the connections between the use of renewable energies, the labour market and qualifications in four other counties: Portugal, Romania, the Netherlands and Turkey. The use of renewable energies in those countries depends on geographic preconditions, branches of local industries and of course the available skills in the local workforce.

(EWA 2009) European wind association (Hrsg.): Wind at work. Wind energy and job creation in the EU. EWA 2009. (EQUIB 2005) Qualification analysis offshore wind industry. EQUIB 2005. (RES 2009) Proposal for the Leonardo da Vinci project “Renewable Energy Solutions (RES)”.