South Africa’s shift towards renewable energy is creating a workforce challenge: preparing enough skilled workers to fill the jobs emerging from the country’s changing energy system. The African Development Bank Group and the National Business Initiative (NBI) are advancing a programme designed to connect skills development with labour-market demand, helping young people and workers in coal-dependent regions access opportunities in the green economy.
The initiative, known as the Just Energy Transition Skilling for Employment Programme (JET SEP), received a $1 million grant from the African Development Bank through the Fund for African Private Sector Assistance (FAPA). Its work includes developing a labour-market forecasting tool and exploring Skills Development Zones that connect training with local economic opportunities.
The programme’s progress was presented at the Green Livelihoods Summit in Johannesburg on 13 October 2026.
What Green Skills Are in Demand in South Africa?
South Africa’s renewable energy expansion is creating demand for a range of technical and vocational skills. These extend beyond engineers and clean-energy specialists to include electricians, construction workers, technicians and welders involved in building, installing and maintaining energy infrastructure.
The JET SEP skills forecasting work points to solar energy as a major source of demand through 2030, with wind expected to drive greater demand thereafter. Its modelling for 2030 to 2040 identifies construction labourers as accounting for approximately 45% of projected demand, while technicians account for 16%.
These projections suggest that opportunities in the green economy will not be limited to university graduates or highly specialised professionals. Technical and vocational training could also provide pathways into occupations supporting renewable energy infrastructure and related industries.
However, projected demand does not automatically translate into employment. Workers need relevant qualifications, employers must have suitable vacancies, and training programmes must prepare candidates for the actual requirements of available jobs.
How Are Green Skills Programmes Creating Jobs for Young South Africans?
Green skills programmes aim to close the gap between the qualifications workers acquire and the competencies employers require. By aligning training with projected labour-market demand, these initiatives can help young people prepare for occupations emerging from the energy transition.
Under JET SEP, skills forecasting is intended to help policymakers, training institutions and employers identify potential shortages and determine where training investments may be most useful. The programme’s proposed Skills Development Zones are intended to connect skills development with enterprise growth and local economic priorities.
The potential employment benefits extend beyond renewable energy generation itself. Construction, equipment installation, electrical services, maintenance and other supporting activities can create demand for workers and businesses throughout the energy value chain.
Nevertheless, training is only one part of job creation. The number of young people who ultimately secure employment will depend on employers’ recruitment needs, the availability of projects, access to practical experience and whether training translates into recognised, marketable skills.
What Is the African Development Bank Doing to Address Youth Unemployment?
The African Development Bank is supporting JET SEP through a $1 million grant from its Fund for African Private Sector Assistance. The programme is coordinated by the National Business Initiative in partnership with other stakeholders.
One of its central components is JET ATLAS, an interactive dashboard designed to forecast the supply and demand for skills across South Africa’s municipalities. The tool is intended to help decision-makers identify where skills shortages could emerge and which occupations may require additional training capacity.
The programme is also advancing the development of Skills Development Zones to connect training, enterprise development and local economic opportunities. The Department of Higher Education and Training has endorsed the feasibility study for the zones.
Three zones are scheduled for launch in Nkangala on 29 October 2026, the Northern Cape on 18 November 2026, and the Eastern Cape in March 2027.
Through this approach, the programme seeks to improve the connection between workforce preparation and private-sector demand. Rather than treating training as an end in itself, it aims to help create a system in which skills development responds more directly to the occupations and economic activities that are expected to grow.
The programme addresses one part of the youth unemployment challenge: the mismatch between available skills and labour-market requirements. It does not, on its own, resolve the broader constraints affecting employment, including the availability of investment, projects and vacancies.
How Can South African Youth Access Green Economy Training and Employment Opportunities?
Young South Africans interested in the green economy can begin by identifying occupations linked to renewable energy projects and the skills those jobs require. Depending on the role, relevant pathways may include electrical work, construction, welding, equipment installation, maintenance and specialised technical training.
Technical and vocational education institutions, employers and recognised training providers can help prospective workers identify appropriate qualifications and practical experience. Young jobseekers should also investigate internships, apprenticeships and entry-level opportunities offered by employers working across the energy value chain.
JET SEP’s labour-market forecasting work could help institutions and policymakers understand where particular skills are needed. However, the programme announcement does not establish a public application process, a list of available training places or a direct recruitment channel for young people.
Prospective applicants should therefore verify current opportunities through the relevant training institutions, employers and official programme partners rather than assume that participation is already open.
For young people, the practical consideration is to choose training based not only on interest in renewable energy but also on the qualifications employers recognise, the availability of relevant projects and the skills required to perform specific jobs.
Mpumalanga Highlights the Employment Challenge
Mpumalanga illustrates why skills planning matters to South Africa’s energy transition. The province is home to a substantial concentration of coal infrastructure, leaving local communities exposed to changes in the energy sector.
As the country develops renewable energy capacity and diversifies its economy, opportunities in wind energy, climate-smart agriculture, agro-processing, tourism and hospitality could help create alternative sources of employment and income.
Realising these opportunities will require more than investment in new infrastructure. Workers need pathways into relevant occupations, local businesses need opportunities to participate in emerging value chains, and affected communities need economic alternatives that can endure beyond individual projects.
The challenge is therefore not only to replace electricity generated from coal with cleaner sources. It is also to ensure that the economic activity surrounding the transition creates opportunities for the people and communities most exposed to its effects.
From Green Skills Training to Employment
The partnership between the African Development Bank and the National Business Initiative reflects a wider question facing South Africa’s energy transition: how can investment in new infrastructure generate broader economic benefits?
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JET SEP seeks to address part of that challenge by bringing together skills forecasting, training-system development and private-sector participation. Its next phase will test whether these mechanisms can help translate changing labour-market requirements into practical pathways to employment.
The programme’s two additional studies, Building an Inclusive and Responsive Skills Ecosystem for a Just Energy Transition and Powering Futures 2.0: Two Years of Progress, Learning and Opportunity, are scheduled for formal launch at COP 31 in Antalya, Türkiye.
For South Africa, the longer-term measure of success will not simply be the growth of renewable energy capacity. It will also be whether the transition creates accessible employment opportunities, strengthens local businesses and equips workers with skills that employers need.
