At EU level, the Net-Zero Industry Academies aim to ensure that the EU has a sufficiently skilled workforce to support the manufacturing, deployment and operation of net-zero technologies. The Academies are designed to ensure that the workforce grows alongside the expansion of sectors such as solar PV, wind energy, batteries, heat pumps, and so on.
Ireland is currently using and expanding existing skills and training structures to achieve many of the same objectives under the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA).
The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science works closely with the tertiary sector, industry and other stakeholders to develop the skills necessary to support the green transition, ranging from transferable 'green skills for life' to specific technical requirements for emerging sectors such as eMobility, offshore renewable energy, and sustainable construction and retrofitting.
The Green Skills 2030 Strategy, launched in 2024, sets the direction for the sector’s response to climate change.
A new platform, EduGreen Connect, aims to connect learners, educators, employers and policymakers with sustainability education, green skills development and related career pathways.