Europe’s clean energy sector is expanding at its fastest rate in decades. New offshore wind farms, hydrogen plants, carbon-capture clusters, and grid-modernisation projects are underway across the continent, each requiring specialist talent. For employers, the challenge is no longer simply finding people with the right technical skills; it’s managing those skills effectively as technologies change and projects scale rapidly.
What skills are most in demand, and where?
Across new energy builds, several skill sets are consistently in short supply:
Electrical and grid engineering – as countries upgrade ageing grids and link remote generation zones with population centres, demand for protection engineers, grid-connection specialists and high-voltage engineers has risen sharply. For example, the European Grids Package, spanning from Portugal to Ukraine, is designed to accelerate the development of energy infrastructure in Europe and ensure that electricity continues to flow across borders.
Offshore wind construction and operations – with massive wind projects such as the Green Volt Offshore Wind Farm, Europe’s first commercial-scale floating project, 80km off Scotland’s east coast, coming online, employers are competing for project managers, turbine technicians, subsea engineers and HSE specialists with offshore experience. Oil and gas experience will help in these instances, but many roles will still require retraining due to specific turbine systems and offshore regulatory standards.
Hydrogen/green hydrogen and process engineering – green hydrogen projects, including the H2 Green Steel development in Boden, Sweden, which is set to produce 5 million tonnes of green steel annually by 2030, are driving demand for process engineers, chemical engineers and controls specialists who are familiar with electrolysis systems. These are new and emerging skills, meaning employers frequently have to hire from adjacent sectors and provide structured, specialist upskilling.
As wind, hydrogen, grid projects, and solar projects, including the 76-megawatt solar park Tützpatz in Mecklenburg, north-eastern Germany, grow in scale and complexity, they increasingly rely on digital performance platforms. Data analysts, cybersecurity specialists, and automation engineers are becoming central to the efficient operation of new energy assets, especially as ‘digital twins’, remote monitoring, predictive maintenance, and performance optimisation become standard.
How organisations can identify and develop the right skills
Because technologies evolve quickly, traditional workforce planning is no longer sufficient. Employers must have clear visibility over current skills, future requirements and any potential gaps.
To achieve that, they must:
Map current and future needs – a structured skills-mapping exercise helps organisations understand their current capabilities and where gaps may arise as they scale or change focus. North Sea oil operators, for example, may discover that their mechanical or civil engineering staff can be reskilled through targeted training, reducing the need for external hires and accelerating project mobilisation.
Invest in continuous upskilling – training programmes must be ongoing, not simply one-offs. Offshore wind businesses such as Ørsted and Vattenfall routinely partner with technical colleges and training providers to build pathways for turbine engineers, digital maintenance specialists, and marine coordinators. These partnerships help to create a stable pipeline of job-ready workers.
Plan early for succession – many clean-energy projects operate on 5- to 10-year cycles. Without a clear succession plan, employers risk losing momentum when senior engineers or project leads move on or retire. By building skills pipelines early, for example via graduate rotations, cross-disciplinary secondments, mentoring schemes or apprenticeships, organisations can retain institutional knowledge and ensure continuity across projects and teams.
How specialist consultancies support skills management
A specialist partner like JAM adds value, long before a vacancy is advertised. Our clean-energy consultants work across multiple technologies and regions, giving them access to talent pools and insight into how other organisations are adapting.
They can provide:
Skills mapping and market intelligence – they can benchmark an organisation’s existing skill sets against project demands and market availability, and reveal where shortages are likely to occur. For example, if a client is planning a hydrogen or HVDC project, our consultants can show them where competition for key roles is highest, which skills can be transferred from chemicals or utilities, and what salary expectations are.
Identifying adjacent and emerging talent – because many clean-energy roles are new, our consultants can help employers to find transferable skills by looking beyond obvious sources. They may draw from offshore oil and gas, advanced manufacturing, marine engineering or even defence. This increased scope widens the talent pool and helps to reduce project delays.
Succession and workforce planning support – our consultants can build long-term pipelines for hard-to-fill roles, tracking candidates as they gain experience across multiple European projects. This gives employers earlier access to future leaders and ensures knowledge handover during project transitions.
Supporting candidate development – our specialist consultants help candidates to understand which skills will be most valuable over the next few years. Whether that’s gaining a Global Wind Organisation (GWO) certificate, training in HVDC systems, electrolysis experience or building data-analysis capability, clear guidance helps individuals to stay competitive while giving employers a steady stream of candidates with the right mix of skills and ambition.
Keeping pace with a fast-moving sector
There’s no doubt that Europe’s clean-energy transition will only accelerate in the future. Organisations that invest early in skills mapping, structured development and long-term workforce planning will find it easier to adapt to rapid change and deliver projects on schedule. Partnering with a specialist consultancy, like JAM, that understands the clean-energy market and where it’s heading, gives organisations access to insights, transferable talent, and emerging skills, and readies them for the next wave of innovation, whatever form it takes.
For more information about how we can support your organisation with its clean energy skills management needs, contact us.