The provinces of Groningen, Drenthe and Friesland are in the early stages of plans to train thousands of technicians and engineers to work in green energy industries in the coming years.
Translation by Traci White
According to reporting by Dagblad van het Noorden, plans have been made to train 3,400 technicians to make the energy transition a reality in the region. Due to the scarcity of qualified professionals currently in the market, the northern provinces have developed a neo-Delta plan to train them, similar in scale to the plans to protect South Holland and Zeeland in the 1950s.
The plans will see 3,400 technicians entering the professional field in four years’ time. That entails 2,400 students who are currently enrolled at vocational academic programmes and retraining 1,000 professionals currently working in energy-related position. In order to train the students, 300 vocational instructors will themselves be trained in the latest techniques.
Energy College
The plans to train as many new technicians as possible were developed by Energy College, a northern Netherlands initiative to provide employees for the growing energy sector in the region. The Energy College is a collaboration among regional vocational schools, agrarian vocational schools, local governments and businesses.
Six million euros
The Energy College plan is expected to cost six million euros, which will be covered by the academic institutions, the three northern provincial governments, the municipalities of Groningen, Leeuwarden, Assen, Emmen and Ameland, the Dutch ministry of education and culture, and 45 companies in the energy sector in the north.
