Cambodian Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Skills:
Needs and Gaps Analysis
Needs and Gaps Analysis
How do we prepare workers with the skills that clean energy companies need? Our latest report assesses the labor needs of solar and energy efficiency (EE) companies, reviews Cambodia’s training landscape, and proposes ways to bridge the classroom-workplace divide.
Solar and EE jobs are forecasted to grow for the next 15 years. An estimated 11,000 workers are needed annually in solar as deployment expands to meet Power Development Plan targets. Investments to meet National Energy Efficiency Policy targets are expected to generate 6,400-8,900 EE jobs.
However, companies struggle to find qualified candidates. While graduates have strong theoretical foundations, they lack practical experience with real projects, industry tools, and operational standards. Employers call for expanded practical training components and cross-disciplinary training that links technical with soft skills. In addition, companies want nationally recognized certification standards to be created for roles such as solar installers and designers.
On the training side, options remain limited. No well-established academic or vocational programs currently focus on renewable energy or EE. While some schools are starting to offer relevant courses, low awareness of clean energy careers limits demand. Keeping labs equipped with rapidly evolving clean energy technologies is also challenging, and few instructors have the real-world project experience needed to deliver high quality job-readiness technical training. Similarly, clean energy internship placements are scarce.
Solar and EE jobs are forecasted to grow for the next 15 years. An estimated 11,000 workers are needed annually in solar as deployment expands to meet Power Development Plan targets. Investments to meet National Energy Efficiency Policy targets are expected to generate 6,400-8,900 EE jobs.
However, companies struggle to find qualified candidates. While graduates have strong theoretical foundations, they lack practical experience with real projects, industry tools, and operational standards. Employers call for expanded practical training components and cross-disciplinary training that links technical with soft skills. In addition, companies want nationally recognized certification standards to be created for roles such as solar installers and designers.
On the training side, options remain limited. No well-established academic or vocational programs currently focus on renewable energy or EE. While some schools are starting to offer relevant courses, low awareness of clean energy careers limits demand. Keeping labs equipped with rapidly evolving clean energy technologies is also challenging, and few instructors have the real-world project experience needed to deliver high quality job-readiness technical training. Similarly, clean energy internship placements are scarce.
Key Recommendations:
- Building long-term partnerships between companies and educational institutions.
- Creating formal mechanisms for industry and educators to co-design competency standards, curriculums and training modules.
- Expanding industry placement opportunities for instructors and students.
- Modernising labs through equipment loans, donations, and a centralised procurement fund for education institutes.
- Launching a national campaign to promote clean energy careers.