The Gujarat Energy Research and Management Institute (GERMI) has highlighted a significant challenge in meeting Gujarat’s ambitious green hydrogen production target: the need for 300,000 skilled workers by 2030.
This target is part of India’s broader goal to produce 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen by the same year, with Gujarat contributing 3.5 million tonnes.
Gujarat Skilled Workforce Shortage
GERMI’s director general, Dr. Biswajit Roy, emphasized the critical shortage of skilled manpower as a major roadblock to achieving Gujarat’s green hydrogen ambitions.
The Ministry of Skill Development and Education (MSDE) estimates a demand for 283,000 jobs in production and storage, along with 11,000 roles in electrolyser manufacturing.
However, current skilling efforts remain underfunded and lack a structured approach.
To support the green hydrogen initiative, Gujarat has earmarked land in Kutch and Banaskantha for major players such as Reliance, Adani, and Torrent to set up green hydrogen and ammonia plants.
Despite these efforts, GERMI warns that large-scale training programs must be launched urgently to meet the workforce demand.
Incentivizing Skilling Programs
Dr. Roy proposed several measures to address the skilling challenge, including incentivizing skilling programs with Aadhaar-based rewards, encouraging refundable deposits, and leveraging government institutions to meet training targets.
He also suggested linking skilling to assured placements with reasonable salaries to mobilize candidates effectively.
GERMI advocates adopting successful models from the oil and gas sector, where public-private collaboration has created employable manpower.
By replicating these frameworks in the green hydrogen sector, Gujarat can ensure its workforce is ready to power its clean energy ambitions.
Societal Bias and Vocational Training in Gujarat
Dr. Roy highlighted the societal bias in favor of academic qualifications over vocational skills.
He stressed the need to break this bias to transition to a green energy-based economy quickly.
Identifying government institutions to meet skilling targets in various qualification packs of the green energy domain is crucial for success.
Meeting Gujarat’s green hydrogen target requires a concerted effort to develop a skilled workforce.
By addressing the shortage of skilled manpower through structured skilling programs and public-private collaboration, Gujarat can achieve its ambitious goals and contribute significantly to India’s green energy future.
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