Central Asia targets skills gap as renewable energy push accelerates

Central Asian governments are under pressure to align their education systems with the demands of a their emerging renewable energy sectors, panelists said during the Central Asian Climate Change Conference (CACCC-2026) in Astana. With investments into renewables accelerating, the region faces a widening gap between labour market needs and available skills.

Turkmenistan’s Deputy Education Minister Azat Atayev said the country, long reliant on its vast oil and gas reserves, is now investing in solar and wind power while preparing a new generation of specialists to support the transition.

“In Turkmenistan we are rich in oil and gas, but we are also continuing construction of wind and solar energy up to 10 megawatts,” Atayev told a press conference during the event, in response to a question from IntelliNews. 

He stressed that infrastructure expansion must be matched by human capital development. “We have a task of preparing a specialist which will perform this, and which will service this green energy station,” he said. “The key question is what will change in the future industry, and which skills and knowledge we will need for this transformation to green energy.”

Atayev said Turkmenistan is using forward-looking analysis to better understand labour market needs and address mismatches in education.

“For that, we analyse through foresight sessions the mismatch between the curriculum and labour market demand,” he said. “This foresight opens for us what will work in the future.”

He added that the government had developed a comprehensive, sector-by-sector approach to workforce planning.

“We have prepared a very comprehensive approach, preparing special surveys for each economic part — energy, transport, logistics,” he said. “After identifying mismatches, we determine which skills are needed and which are not present now, through a gap analysis.”

“Through this gap analysis, our universities are now preparing projects which are demanded by industry in the transition to green transformation,” he added.

A key element of the strategy is closer integration between education and industry, Atayev said. “Second, we prepare our students through education where they participate and work in real industry,” he said. “It is our approach, not only for green transition, it is important for all sectors of the economy.” He also noted that rapid technological change requires continuous adaptation. 

The issue of workforce readiness has become increasingly urgent across Central Asia, where governments are planning to commission up to 8 gigawatts (GW) of new solar and wind capacity in the coming years.

However, the pace of development is already outstripping the ability of education and training systems to supply adequately trained workers, according to a conference press release.

“The transition to clean energy is not only about technology and investment. It is above all about specialists who can design, build, and maintain the energy systems of the future,” said Batyr Mamedov, executive director of the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC), during a panel at the summit.

“We have enormous potential in solar and wind energy, and to ensure this potential does not remain on paper, our task … is to lay the foundation for regional cooperation that will enable companies and universities to speak the same language,” he added.

The workforce challenge was the focus of a panel session organised by CAREC in partnership with the OSCE, GIZ and other organisations as part of the conference.

Participants discussed how to adapt educational programmes to market needs, expand practical training, and strengthen collaboration between academia and the private sector.

One of the expected outcomes is the signing of memoranda of understanding between technical universities in Central Asia and CAREC, aimed at building a regional system for workforce training, advancing joint research and promoting academic mobility.