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Key recommendations from IRENA on RE and jobs

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Harmeet
New Update

ABU DHABI, UAE: The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) tabled a report on Renewable energy and jobs.

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The findings of this report indicate that in designing and implementing policies to increase the number of renewable energy jobs, policy makers may consider:

The importance of measuring employment from renewable energy

* Systematic data collection and thorough analysis to estimate the employment at the country level is essential to inform policy-making, evaluate the effectiveness of deployment policies and communicate the results to the public at large.

Among the various methods available to estimate employment in the renewable energy sector, each country should consider which best suits their needs and resources. To the extent possible, countries should also seek to harmonise methods and data reporting categories.

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* The most useful data would distinguish between conventional and renewable energy employment (by technology and use) and direct and indirect employment; disaggregate among the main components of the

renewable energy sector (feedstock operations, manufacturing, engineering, construction and installation, and operations and maintenance) and provide occupational details (e.g., wages, gender, etc.).

Interactions between the different policy instruments in support of job creation

* National renewable energy policy choices need to be combined carefully with an eye towards a country's particular strengths and weaknesses. A key requirement is that policies provide a stable, predictable framework that anchors investor confidence and supports job creation in the sector.

* Efforts to maximise socio-economic impacts of renewable energy deployment, and job creation in particular, benefit from a tailored policy mix that entails coordination between deployment and other interacting

policies, such as education, trade, regional development, industrial and labour.

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Renewable energy skills, education and training: key enablers

* Policy makers can facilitate the inclusion of renewable energy topics in existing and new educational programmes, and increase awareness of the career opportunities in renewable energy to attract the young people entering the sector, as well as experienced workers from other industries with relevant skills.

* Governments can provide financial support for renewable energy education and training at universities or other suitable institutions, and foster international and interdisciplinary collaboration, such as the creation of interchangeable job and training specifications, harmonisation of curricula and development of common quality standards for training programmes and trainers.

* The private sector is well placed to provide relevant technical skills in a timely fashion through on-the-job apprenticeships and training programmes. Public and private sector actors should, therefore,

collaborate in order to benefit from their respective strengths to most effectively meet the needs of the sector.

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Off-grid solutions: catalysing local employment and economic growth

* Dedicated off-grid renewable energy policies are key to transforming rural economies. An integrated programmatic approach specifically targeting the sector should be promoted to ensure that timely expansion of energy access can generate economic growth and improve the livelihoods of millions of people.

* There is a need to develop a comprehensive framework to collect, analyse and disseminate the employment impacts of rural energy access initiatives. Data on rural renewable energy employment, quantitative and qualitative, can be crucial in guiding policy-making toward adopting energy access approaches that maximise socio-economic development in rural areas.

Gender dimensions of renewable energy employment

* Removing barriers to entry for women's employment in the renewable energy sector is a win-win proposition, both to address the existing skills gap in a rapidly expanding renewable energy industry and to create equal opportunities for women.

* In order to maximise renewable energy co-benefits, particularly those related to energy access, household consumption and micro-enterprises, it is essential to include gender perspectives in policies and support

services (e.g., training, access to finance), and to provide the other incentives to encourage employment of women in renewable energy.

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