CORE, the renewable energy education and skill development arm of the POWERCON Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU) to accelerate workforce readiness in India’s clean energy sector. The partnership will launch Certificate, Diploma, and Degree courses in Renewable Energy and Cleantech Technologies, with 12 specialized programs set to roll out by May 2025.
As India moves towards a net-zero emissions by 2070, the demand for skilled professionals in solar, wind, energy storage, electric vehicles, and hydrogen technologies is surging. By 2030, it is estimated that about 24 million green jobs will be created globally of which over 1.8 million would be the need for Clean Energy Indian Renewables alone. This translates into crafting of 200,000 fresh careers per year over the next 6 years and additionally half of it to be reskilled / upskilled, underscoring the urgency for a structured, industry-driven education.
This collaboration directly aligns with national initiatives like the National Solar Mission, National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy, and Green Hydrogen Mission, ensuring that training programs meet real-world industry needs and government mandates under MNRE and Skill India. The launch of said career courses clears a headway for the youth to get profiled with state-of-the-art clean energy technologies and gain hands-on work exposure to be certified as Wind, Solar or Renewable Energy (RE) Commandos.
YCMOU is one of the Mega Open Universities of the world, offering a diverse array of 120+ academic programmes spanning a full range from the certificate to the post-graduate level, and annually registers over 600,000 learners. It provides an innovative system of university level education, flexible and open to larger segments particularly to those living in remote and rural areas including working people, housewives and other adults who wish to upgrade or acquire knowledge, while focusing on the needs of employment and economic development.
CORE, a ‘Not for Profit’ initiative of the POWERCON Group, is a RE Academy imparting clean energy education and training to beginners, raw and experienced professionals through a sandwich workshop curriculum. CORE’s infrastructure of Wind, Solar and Hybrid Simulators, a set-up for remote Command, Control and Energy management; and facilities for Analytics, Diagnostics and Restoration enables imparting of the need based practical knowledge. Topping it up with “attitude” and “skills” to operate in an open to sky work environment develops the learners as “Renewable Energy Commandos”.
Praveen Kakulte, CEO, the POWERCON Group, emphasized the significance of this collaboration: “India’s clean energy transition depends on a skilled and future-ready workforce. CORE’s partnership with YCMOU enables the masses to acquire the most critical and difficult to get RE industry skills, qualification and an University certification. This secures employability of the youth and working professionals across the domestic and global RE industry.”
Prof. Dr Sanjeev Sonawane, Vice-Chancellor YCMOU, added, “Partnering with CORE allows us to introduce very specialized programs that directly contribute to India’s RE goals. Together, we are committed to developing a talent pool at a faster pace. YCMOU being a Mass Varsity and with its recent recognition as a Digital University, the access for and development of talent is augmented further without any limitation to geographical boundaries.”
Beyond classroom learning, this MoU also facilitates internships, faculty exchanges, and job placements, ensuring practical exposure to the RE industry. This collaboration between the POWERCON Group’s CORE and YCMOU marks a pivotal step in shaping a highly skilled workforce capable of driving India’s clean energy revolution.
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