Enel and IEA to align employment data and energy transition insights

A new programme - Glass House Project - launched by the Enel Foundation and the International Energy Agency (IEA) aims to improve the quality and availability of global energy sector employment data.

The programme aims to align the global energy workforce with the accelerating pace of the energy transition and increased investments being made within the clean energy sector as world leaders transition away from fossil-fueled power generation.

Enel Foundation and IEA will conduct research and provide up-to-date energy sector employment data and insights regarding changes within the labour market.

The two organisations aim to support policymakers, companies, and citizens in understanding the near- and medium-term workforce shifts brought about by clean energy transitions. They will focus on the number and types of jobs created and the growing training needs.

IEA and the Enel Foundation's data regarding the number of jobs needed, the number of professionally trained and job opportunities within the energy industry will be leveraged to assess the implications on global economies and businesses in transition.

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The two parties will also aim to gather practical case studies on how companies, educational institutions, regions and governments are successfully managing the energy transition, skill needs, hiring challenges, and their training approaches to better inform other institutions on how best they can address similar challenges.

The research will be used to expand IEA's existing database covering employment within the global energy industry.

IEA and the Enel Foundation will expand current methods for collecting energy sector employment data, standardise processes, and develop a coalition of the willing to contribute to the cause to advance the availability, granularity, and quality of the data.

Laura Cozzi, chief energy modeller at the IEA, said: “IEA’s Sustainable Recovery Special Report found that emissions reductions, economic growth and rise in employment can go hand-in-hand if policies are designed in the right way. Improved tracking of energy employment is key to ensure we move towards net zero while ensuring good quality jobs. We are delighted by this collaboration and Enel Foundation’s support of this work. They bring a deep understanding of sector-specific environments, issues, and trends and an extensive network of companies and academia to validate and improve tracking."