While the US has pulled the plug on its climate funding and projects, India is doubling down on its green policies and programmes. It has several climate targets, including achieving 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030. Meeting this target means creating millions of green jobs, identifying skilling gaps in the renewable energy sector and empowering the workforce with training and certifications.
Leading the charge is the Skill Council for Green Jobs (SCGJ), working under the National Skill Development Mission to drive expansion in the overall green job and internship market. A recent SCGJ-Sattva Consulting study, supported by JP Morgan, highlights India’s potential to create 3.5 million green jobs by 2047 across renewable energy, waste management, electric vehicles, green construction and sustainable textiles. The National Council of Applied Economic Research projects that in the 50 per cent renewables capacity by 2030 scenario, direct employment in the green energy sector could increase from 3.9 million in the baseline scenario to 4.5 million.
Government action to make the workforce green-jobs ready
Government programmes such as the National Solar Mission and the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM) are fuelling demand for specialised green skills, while the National Education Policy, 2020 integrates sustainability and green skills into various educational programmes. SCGJ is leading the initiatives around setting up national standards, creating curriculum, training faculty/trainers at academic institutions and providing certification. Up to financial year 2025, SCGJ had provided training to 167,082 individuals in the solar energy segment, 1,985 in wind, 600 in green hydrogen and 478 in small-hydro.
In January 2024, SCGJ, GIZ India and EY launched the TISA (Training and Innovation in Solar Applications) project to accelerate the adoption of advanced solar energy solutions and build a future-ready workforce. The project focuses on organising capacity-building workshops, national study tours, expert-led conferences and panel discussions, and developing a specialised e-learning platform for solar professionals. SCGJ has also signed an MoU with the Natural Resources Defence Council to address the shortage of skilled professionals in the sector.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has added a skilling component in the NGHM, under which 100,000 workers across the value chain will be required to participate. According to Arpit Sharma, chief executive officer, SCGJ, around 600,000 jobs will be created by 2030 to achieve India’s target of 5 million metric tonnes of green hydrogen. SCGJ has set 10 qualifications and signed MoUs with academic institutions to facilitate training in the industry. It is also involved in the reskilling and upskilling of green hydrogen and renewable energy companies through online and offline trainings. The Avaada Group, a key player in the clean energy sector, in collaboration with SCGJ, has established a Centre of Excellence at Avaada’s Giga Factory in Dadri to train its workforce in green hydrogen technologies.
Roles in demand and who is hiring
India’s green energy transition is creating jobs across the value chain, ranging from technicians to researchers, engineers and architects for project conception, design and commissioning. While entry-level jobs such as installation helpers, junior technicians and assistant planners require only basic educational qualifications, there is an increasing demand for reskilling and upskilling to meet evolving industry standards.
The growing deployment of digital tools at renewable energy plants is creating demand for technology experts, data analysts and cybersecurity experts. Individuals from other sectors planning a mid-career transition to the green energy sector can apply transferrable skills to sustainability projects. These include finance professionals, business analysts and operations managers.
Organisations developing multiple renewable energy projects are investing in building a talent pipeline. They are prioritising skill-based hiring and practical green competencies over traditional qualifications, partnering with universities, vocational centres and online learning platforms to equip young professionals with future sustainability skills, and investing in inclusive hiring/reskilling initiatives. However, institutions need to effectively integrate sustainability principles into their curriculum, preparing students for careers in the green economy. Potential partnerships with industry could help provide students with practical knowledge.
Ensuring a just transition
While the Indian coal industry still has many good years of employment ahead, there is growing talk of coal being phased down. However, stopping coal mining without rehabilitating the displaced workforce into alternative occupations is not ideal. Since 2011, the Asian Development Bank has been supporting India in state-level skilling initiatives for coal-dependent states to ensure a just transition.
A 2024 report by the National Foundation for India, “At the Crossroads: Marginalised Communities and the Just Transition Dilemma”, warns about the implications of phasing down coal for the vulnerable community of formal and informal coal workers, potentially depriving at least 13 million people of a source of income. The transition cannot be “just” unless replacement jobs are created. Some of India’s carbon-intensive public sector firms such as Coal India Limited, NTPC Limited, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, NGC Energy and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited are undertaking CSR initiatives and have announced diversification plans to address this. However, the absorption of coal workers in the green economy would require significant retraining and upskilling, which may take considerable time and resources.
Notably, India’s major coal belts lie in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha, whereas the major solar and wind energy plants are concentrated in Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Karnataka, and are more likely to provide employment to the local population. In addition, a solar PV park employs a handful of permanent staff for operation compared to hundreds employed in a large coal-fired power plant. This highlights a huge gap in the jobs being phased out and the ones being created.
Inclusion of women on-site
The National Skill Gap Study for High Growth Sectors released by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in March 2025 highlights a significant gender imbalance in the solar industry, with female employment at 17 per cent. Karnataka and Maharashtra account for the majority of female participation in the segment at 40.4 per cent and 30.4 per cent respectively. As per the Periodic Labour Force Survey 2023-24, conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, women in non-conventional energy segments make up only 10 per cent of the workforce, largely concentrated in Himachal Pradesh. However, they are confined to non-technical roles such as general office clerks, sales workers and administration managers. The core occupations in the industry are still dominated by men. Positions such as machinery mechanics and repairers, protective service workers, electrical equipment installers, process control technicians, and electrotechnology engineers are perceived to be too physically demanding for women.
Besides, fewer women enroll in the disciplines preferred in green jobs, and even fewer apply for O&M roles as most renewable energy sites are in remote locations. That said, more companies are encouraging female participation in technical roles. The WePower (Women in Power Sector Professional Network) initiative, launched by the World Bank to promote gender equality in the South Asian energy sector, has opened the doors for skilled women in the field. Further, SCGJ’s Green Entrepreneurs Program, set to launch in 2026, aims to transform skilled women into green business leaders by providing seed funding and business training, and establishing a supportive network for women entrepreneurs in the green energy sector.
GenZ leading the change
As per WeNaturalists, a global platform for climate and nature professionals, GenZ is driving the surge in green jobs, with 63 per cent of green job seekers aged between 21 and 30. Having grown up watching peers such as Greta Thunberg advocate for climate action, this self-proclaimed “compassionate generation” is determined to change the world. Known for skipping school to protest against inaction on climate change, Gen Z is motivated by social causes.
Balancing climate and community
As new roles and industries displace older ones, companies at the forefront of the energy transition must ensure that the shift is not only good for the planet but is fair and inclusive for people too. In many states, coal is not just an energy source, but the backbone of their economy. Achieving climate goals while managing realities on the ground calls for creativity, empathy and a deep understanding of local contexts. Renewable energy companies can fill some of these gaps by retraining workers in the fossil-fuel industry to do broadly comparable green jobs, ensuring that no one is left behind.
By Sugandha Khurana
