At the COP30 summit in Belém, a new global initiative was launched to show that climate action can also be a powerful job creator, as reported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). The Global Initiative on Jobs & Skills for the New Economy, co-founded by GIZ, aims to align the green transition with social and economic opportunities for people worldwide.
The initiative highlights the urgent need to prepare workers for a climate-neutral, digital future. Without new vocational training systems, the renewable energy sector alone could face a shortage of six million skilled professionals by 2030—engineers, technicians, and educators among them. That gap could lead to higher emissions in the energy sector and make the 1.5-degree target impossible to reach.
On the other hand, the shift to green economies offers enormous potential. If governments and companies invest in sustainable industries and skills, up to 375 million new jobs could be created worldwide by the end of the decade. These findings come from a flagship report backed by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, the International Climate Initiative, GIZ, and international partners.
“The transition is about people,” said GIZ Managing Director Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven. “With the right training and cooperation between business, education, and government, we can build stronger economies, foster social inclusion, and accelerate progress on environmental goals.”
However, fewer than half of all national climate plans currently include green skills and training strategies—a gap the initiative seeks to close.
The effort also focuses on young people, especially in the Global South, where job opportunities remain limited, and on those at risk of losing work in fossil fuel-dependent industries. According to Festus K. Ng’eno, Principal Secretary at Kenya’s Ministry of Environment, “The transition to a new economy is not a burden, but a historic opportunity to create jobs, empower youth, and drive inclusive growth.”
As one of the founding members, GIZ brings its long experience in vocational training and workforce development to the initiative. In 2024 alone, over 23 million people worldwide completed training programs supported by the organization, many through partnerships with companies such as Siemens Energy, Schneider Electric, and Festo Didactic.
