The development of renewable energy in Central Asia faces a key barrier: a shortage of qualified specialists. This challenge is the central focus of a panel session organized by the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC), jointly with the OSCE, GIZ, and partners, as part of the Central Asian Climate Change Conference (CACCC-2026).
The session, titled “Workforce Development and Research Cooperation to Advance Renewable Energy in Central Asia” took place on 23 April 2026 from 09:00 to 10:45 at the Hilton Astana (Irtysh Hall) and brought together representatives of government bodies, universities, the private sector, and international organizations.
According to international estimates, the renewable energy sector is growing rapidly: in 2023, it employed 16.2 million people worldwide, 2.5 million more than the year before. At the same time, around 44% of these jobs are in the solar energy sector. By 2030, the share of renewable sources in global power generation is expected to rise to 43%.
Against this backdrop, Central Asian countries plan to commission up to 8 GW of new solar and wind power capacity. However, the pace of sector growth is already outstripping the capacity of education and training systems to prepare the necessary workforce.
During the session, participants discussed which skills and competencies will be most in demand in the coming years, how educational programmes can be adapted to real market needs, how to strengthen practical training, and how to promote joint research and academic mobility. Particular attention will be given to the role of the private sector in workforce development and the introduction of innovation.
One of the key expected outcomes of the session was the signing of memorandums of understanding between technical universities in Central Asia and CAREC. This will lay the foundation for the development of a regional workforce training system, joint research, and sustained academic cooperation.
“The transition to clean energy is not only about technology and investment. Above all, it is about specialists who know how to design, build, and operate the energy systems of the future. We have enormous solar and wind energy potential, and to ensure that this potential does not remain only on paper, our task at this session is to lay the foundation for regional cooperation that will allow companies and universities to speak the same language,” said Batyr Mamedov, Executive Director of CAREC.
This event will provide a platform for developing practical solutions that can be implemented within the next 12-18 months and will contribute to energy security, the creation of new jobs, and greater climate resilience across the region.
The session is organized within the framework of cooperation among the OSCE-CAREC initiative (RTEET), the GIZ regional project “Green Skills for a Green Economy in Central Asia (PROGRESS),” and the EU-GIZ programme “EU4SustainableCentralAsia: Renewable Energy in Central Asia (EURECA).”
#RTEET #OSCE #CAREC #GreenEnergy
Additional information:
Valeriya Orlova, CCSE Programme Specialist, vorlova@carececo.org
Vladimir Grebnev, Regional Climate Change Specialist, cc_specialist@carececo.org
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