• The energy transition is a profoundly human project: made by people for the benefit of people.

  • Strategic energy autonomy is measured not only in installed gigawatts or in the share of renewables in the mix, but in the ability to train and retain talent.

  • We have the capital, we have the technology, we have the targets. What we lack are the people capable of making that transformation real.

  • Green talent is the most valuable piece of infrastructure we can build.

  • Green talent is more than the overdue task of the energy transition. It is, quite simply, its enabling condition.

21 November 2025

The energy transition is advancing at an unprecedented pace. Renewables are breaking generation records, wind and solar farms are multiplying across the territory, and industrial decarbonisation is no longer an aspiration but a strategic urgency. Yet amid debates on technologies, regulation and financing, the most essential component is often forgotten: the human factor.

One variable threatens to become the true bottleneck of this transformation: people. Or more precisely, the absence of them. Spain faces a deficit of one million young people trained in green occupations to sustain the energy transition, according to the report La Formación Profesional ante los retos de sostenibilidad medioambiental en España, prepared by CaixaBank Dualiza and Orkestra–Basque Institute of Competitiveness. This figure is not just a statistic: it represents the distance between ambition and reality—the gap between what we want to build and who is able to build it.

The growing gap between ambition and capacity

The numbers paint a scenario that should concern those designing industrial and energy policies. The report Green Jobs: Sustainable Employment and Business Trends, published by Manpower Group, sheds light on this reality: 94% of companies say they cannot find the personnel they need to meet their sustainability objectives. Seven out of ten organisations are already hiring or planning to hire specialised staff for green jobs, but 53% of executives express concern about difficulties attracting talent, while another 60% worry about skills mismatch when incorporating professionals into their teams. According to the study, over 70% of sustainability-related vacancies are being filled through external hiring due to insufficient internal training.

In Spain, the Green Economy Global report from Randstad forecasts that total demand for green jobs will increase by 38% by 2030, with a projected deficit of 42,600 jobs if adequate measures are not taken. The taxonomy of these profiles is revealing: from engineers specialising in wind, solar PV, thermal, geothermal and hydropower, to technicians installing and maintaining renewable systems, to green hydrogen project developers, energy efficiency specialists, data analysts for operations optimisation, and grid quality experts.

We have the capital, the technology, the targets. What we lack are the people capable of making that transformation real. The most disruptive technology is useless if we lack the minds and hands trained to design it, install it, operate it and maintain it. The energy transition is a race against time and a collective effort. Technology is a tool, but true transformative power lies in human capital.

A key pillar of strategic autonomy

Talent management in the energy transition is far more than a labour-market challenge: it is a matter of strategic autonomy. Investing in green talent is not a cost but a lever for sovereignty, resilience and competitiveness. Territories and countries that succeed in training, attracting and retaining green talent will position themselves as leaders in tomorrow’s economy. Those that do not will see their room for manoeuvre limited, regardless of their natural resources or renewable potential. Spain may have competitive advantages in renewable resources, but that advantage will mean little if we lack the professionals needed to execute, manage and expand it.

This reflection will be one of the pillars of the III Foro Sella, which will address precisely the intersection between strategic autonomy, industry, energy and talent. The question is pertinent: what is the value of having the best conditions for renewable generation if we lack the professionals who can design, build, operate and maintain those installations? How can we aspire to lead the energy transition without a solid base of trained talent? It is not enough to attract investment; we must ensure a critical mass of professionals capable of implementing it. Strategic energy autonomy is measured not only in installed gigawatts or renewable share, but in the ability to train and retain the talent that makes that transformation possible. Ultimately, green talent is the most valuable piece of infrastructure we can build.

The energy transition: a matter of people

At its core, the energy transition is—a matter of people. Made by people and for people. It is people who design wind farms, who install solar panels, who manage smart grids, who research new battery materials, who train other professionals. And it is also people who ultimately benefit from this transformation: people breathing cleaner air, accessing more affordable energy, living on a more habitable planet.

We do not protect the planet as an abstract concept, but because it is the place where we live. Because it directly affects people’s quality of life, because it shapes the economic competitiveness of our regions, because it determines the jobs of the future for our youth. This perspective is fundamental: the energy transition is a profoundly human project.

As Mike Berners-Lee writes in There is No Planet B, “It is our energy supply that gives us the ability to change our planet for better or for worse.” This capacity for change lies, ultimately, in the hands, minds and resolve of professionals who are trained, motivated and committed. Green talent is not a decorative add-on to the energy transition: it is its backbone.

Training today to compete tomorrow

The good news is that awareness of this challenge is growing, but urgency leaves no room for complacency. If we want to meet the targets of the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan—which foresees generating between 250,000 and 350,000 green jobs by 2030—we need an unprecedented mobilisation of our education and training ecosystem. We must update curricula, create new specialisation pathways, strengthen bridges between training and industry, and attract young people to professions that, until recently, did not even exist.

The energy transition of industry will not happen on its own. It will be carried out by engineers, technicians, managers, operators, researchers, entrepreneurs… It will be carried out by people. The core remains the ability to provide solutions that guarantee a sustainable and competitive energy future. And if we do not invest in training and retaining those people, all the turbines in the world will be nothing more than metal structures with no one to bring them to life. Green talent is more than the overdue task of the energy transition. It is, quite simply, its enabling condition.